


Chandelier

by FaileGaidin



Category: Criminal Minds, Hawaii Five-0 (2010)
Genre: F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-27
Updated: 2015-08-27
Packaged: 2018-04-17 11:06:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 34
Words: 28,734
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4664256
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FaileGaidin/pseuds/FaileGaidin
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Agent Nora Matthews is an empath and her abilities help her do her job better, even as they slowly kill her. When budget constraints cause Hotch and McGarrett's teams to merge into one, Hotch and the rest of the BAU find themselves facing a world they never knew existed. How do you face a woman who knows everything that you're feeling? And what do you do when her demons are connected to your own past?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This story is set after S5 of Criminal Minds. Hotch and Haley never had any children, and the Reaper killed Haley and Sean (Hotch's brother). Also, Foyet didn't die.
> 
> Please note that there are two slash pairings in this fic as well. 
> 
> This story is the first of a two-parter. The second part will be posted...when I finish it. 
> 
> Huge thanks to my artist!!!

Aaron Hotchner studied the man sitting across from him. Everything he knew about Commander Steve McGarrett was from reputation, and that was a mixed bag. The man had a certain carelessness about him when it came to the rules, but there was no denying that he was a damn good agent. His partner, Danny Williams, was usually the one who focused on due process and the letter of the law, despite the fact that he came across as the hot-headed one. There wasn’t anyone on their floor that hadn’t heard at least one of the rants Williams directed at his partner. 

Hotch knew almost nothing else about their team, except for one important point. None of them were profilers.

And Erin Strauss had just informed them that the two teams would be joining forces.

“Believe me when I tell you that I understand the situation isn’t ideal,” she was saying from her seat beside McGarrett. “Due to budget constraints, I had to let a lot of people go. A lot of good people,” she emphasized. “But I figured that it was better to combine my two best teams rather than lose any of you.”

McGarrett shifted in his seat. “How exactly is this going to work?” he asked, keeping his voice even. “No offense to Agent Hotchner, but I’m used to leading my own team. And we don’t normally cover the same kinds of cases that the BAU does.”

Strauss inclined her head to acknowledge his points. “Though Agent Hotchner will retain his status as the team lead, I’m sure that the two of you can work something out. You both have a lot of different experience to offer each other. And as far as the cases go, this new team will handle both serial killers and terrorists. The budget cuts mean we have fewer agents - not fewer bad guys to catch. My suggestion would be for the two of you to review cases together to determine where you’ll be focusing your efforts.” She stood up, Aaron and Steve following suit. “I’m sorry that this is so abrupt, gentlemen.” She looked over at Hotch. “I believe you were headed to Seattle on a missing child case?”

Aaron nodded. “Several missing children, actually.”

“Good. This will be a chance for your teams to learn to work together then.” She gave them a small smile. “The jet might be a tight fit, but it should suffice. Keep me in the loop,” she instructed before walking out of the office.

McGarrett continued to look toward the door, his expression tight. “I guess I’d better get my team ready then.”

“Commander,” Hotch said, “I don’t want to push you out of your place. We may be one team now, but I can give you some latitude with your people, as long as you keep me apprised of anything important.”

Steve nodded. “I appreciate that. How long before wheels up?”

“30 minutes. We’ll brief everyone on the jet.”

Steve nodded again. “Danny’s gonna love this,” he muttered.

Hotch felt a small smile tug at his lips. “I’m sure the rest of us will enjoy his reaction.”

“Oh just you wait, Hotchner. Now that we’re all one big happy family, you’ll all get to experience your very own Danny Williams rant.”

“He seems to be most passionate when they’re aimed at you, though.”

Steve chuckled. “I imagine you’re right about that.” He hesitated for a moment and then stuck his hand out. “See you on the jet.”

Hotch shook his hand firmly. “30 minutes.”

“We’ll be there.” And with that, Steve turned and walked out of the office.


	2. Chapter 2

The tension on the jet was palpable. Hotch shared a look with Steve before letting his gaze roam over everyone else. Even cramped in as they were, they all seemed to avoid each other’s eyes. He knew that the two teams would need time to adjust to one another, but they were going to need to hit the ground running when they reached Seattle. Children’s lives were at stake, and he didn’t have time to hold anybody’s hand during the transition. 

“I am so sorry for being late, sir,” Penelope  gushed out as she got onto the plane. “Chief Strauss wanted to talk with me, and…” She seemed to notice the general feeling around here. “Oh my. A very full plane and a lot of long faces. Why is everyone so sad?”

Danny let out a snort and grinned at her. “Miss Penelope Garcia. As always, you are a breath of fresh air.”

Garcia blushed slightly, waving her hand at him to dismiss the compliment. “Agent Williams,” she greeted.

“Danny, please. I think we’re all going to be on a first name basis from here on out.”

“Indeed.” Penelope nodded at Steve. “Commander. Do you prefer Steve or Steven?”

“Steve, please. I’m only Steven when this one,” he hooked a thumb at Danny, “is reading me the riot act.”

“I wouldn’t need to read you the riot act if you behaved like a normal human being once in awhile.”

Steve just rolled his eyes as Garcia turned to the two men seated across from the arguing pair. “Logan Crane and Alex Grey.” She stuck out a hand. “Penelope Garcia.”

Though they sat next to each other, there was something uncomfortable in the air between the two men. Alex - looking exactly what she would imagine Captain America to look like as a civilian - nodded at Garcia and shook her hand. Logan was a bit shorter and bald, with what looked like a permanent five o’clock shadow on his face. He smiled as he shook her hand. “Penelope. You have quite the reputation.” His British accent was soft, but noticeable.

“A good one, I hope.”

“The best.”

Garcia was grinning as she turned to the only woman on the plane she didn’t know. Even sitting, Penelope could tell that she was tall - maybe even as tall as Hotch - but she slouched in her seat as though she were trying to make herself blend into her background more. Her long dark hair hung in curls around her shoulders. “And Nora Matthews. It’s a pleasure to meet you. Chief Strauss speaks very highly of you.”

Nora gave a half shrug. “Bad habit of hers.” She glanced down at Garcia’s outstretched hand. “Please don’t take this the wrong way, Penelope, but I don’t shake hands.”

Instead of being offended, Garcia just pulled her hand back in and waved it off. “Not at all. Our own Dr. Reid prefers to keep his hands to himself as well. No worries.” She grimaced as she turned to take a seat next to Derek. “Sorry, sir. I didn’t mean to slow us down.”

Hotch gave her a small smile. Penelope had done exactly what he had needed her to do. There weren’t many awkward situations that she couldn’t ease just by virtue of her easy presence. The feeling on the jet certainly wasn’t relaxed, but her greetings had added some much needed levity, and some of the tension in everyone’s shoulders had released. Maybe there was a chance that they could all work together without imploding. He hoped so - he’d never had the jet so full of capable agents, and it would be a waste if their egos kept them from all the good they could do.

“It’s okay, Garcia. Let’s get started, though. We’ve got a long flight, but we’ve got a lot of information to go over as well.”

“How many missing kids do we have?” JJ asked.

“Cody Brauer was reported missing just twelve hours ago. He fits in with a group of eight kids that have gone missing over the past four years.”

“But here’s where things get ultra weird, my beautiful friends,” Penelope interjected. “Because we don’t have just one group of missing kids.”

Morgan frowned. “What do you mean, baby girl?”

“I mean that I have spent some extensive time going through the files of these poor children. And I am no profiler by any stretch of the imagination, but I have two distinct groups of missing children going on here.” Garcia played with her computer for a moment and a screen on the front wall of the jet lit up. Eight pictures were on one side, with Cody being the last one in line. On the other side, the pictures numbered at least double that, with most of the kids being black or hispanic. 

The entire jet stared in horror.

“Garcia…” Rossi said, his face tight, “all of these kids are missing?”

She nodded. “Once I realized that we had so many names on the list, I started going further back in the missing persons files. Some of these kids have been missing for ten years.”

“Twenty kids,” Danny muttered. “Twenty goddamn kids.” Shaking his head, the blonde agent got up and paced up and down the aisle.

Garcia’s expression was pained as she nodded in confirmation. “As you can see, the kids on the  left are from middle class families, and they’re mostly white. Their parents reported them missing almost immediately. The kids on the left are from poorer neighborhoods. Some of the families are in the country illegally, and so it took them longer to report them.”

“And no bodies were found?” Nora asked.

She shook her head. “None of these kids have turned up.”

“But you’ve got something more, don’t you?” JJ asked. “You’ve got that look, Pen.”

“You know me so well, my sweet. Yes, I have something more for you. Though none of these kids have shown up anywhere, we do still have some bodies.” The pictures on the screens changed and Garcia faced her colleagues pointedly so that she didn’t have to look. “We’ve got three total, and they all date back about ten years.”

“When the second group started going missing,” JJ said.

“Exactly.”

For a moment, everyone was quiet. Then Hotch cleared his throat. “You all have files on your tablets,” he said. “I suggest we become familiar with them before we land in Washington.”


	3. Chapter 3

“Between the cops and the park rangers,” JJ said, “our suspect pool is going to be out of control.”

“And that’s only one of the profiles,” Reid reminder her.

“We’re going to need to spit up,” Hotch said. “Garcia, I want you to focus on the children. Dig into their lives and dig into the lives of everyone that had contact with them. If there’s any connection we need to know about it.”

“Dave and I can start going through personnel records here,” Emily offered. “Maybe we can narrow the list.”

Hotch nodded. “Reid, I want you and Morgan to do the same with the park rangers.” He turned to JJ. “I’d like to send you to Cody’s mother. I know we’ve already been over the house, but she may remember something that could help us.”

McGarrett was looking over at Logan and Nora. “”Can the two of you do some checking of your own?”

The two shared a long glance and then Nora shrugged. “We can make our way through the precinct, see if anybody grabs our attention.”

Hotch frowned. “What are you talking about?”

“Nora and Logan have a unique set of skills,” Steve told him, “but I can’t really explain it.”

“Can’t?” Morgan asked.

Steve made a face. “Okay…maybe “won’t” is more accurate. Either way, those skills should prove very useful here.” He locked eyes with Hotch. “You said you could give me some latitude with my people. I’m asking for it here.”

Hotch stared at him for a long moment, weighing his options. He didn’t like secrets, and there was a great deal that he didn’t know about McGarrett’s team. The SEAL’s own file was so heavily redacted that the most useful information only confirmed that the man had served his country unerringly. But if their two teams were to successfully merge into one, they couldn’t get into a pissing match every time they got an answer that they didn’t like. Hotch nodded.

“Eventually I’ll need to know.”

“Probably.” He turned back to Nora and Logan. “Do you need Alex to go with you?”

“We’re not even leaving the building,” Logan said quickly. 

Nora rolled her eyes. “There’s almost 2000 cops in Seattle. Don’t be an idiot, Logan.” She turned to Alex. “You’d better come.”

The other man didn’t speak as he stood up and followed them out of the room.


	4. Chapter 4

Eyes locked on her computer, Garcia’s tapped furiously at her computer, digging through the lives of the missing children and their families. She didn’t like invading the privacy of victims, but she was all too aware of the fact that important clues rested in a person’s history. Unless a victim was completely random - which brought a whole new level of scary, in her opinion - the reason that they had become a victim had to do with who they were and what had happened in their life so far. 

Her heart broke as she sifted through the information. The larger group of kids that had gone missing over the years were from lower income families, but that didn’t mean that they hadn’t been loved and missed. 

So far, she had come up empty. There were a few family members with records, but most of the crimes were directed outside of the family. There was someone on the sex offender registry living in one of the victims’ neighborhoods, but the disgusting creep had an alibi that was unbreakable. And she couldn’t find evidence that he had had contact with any of the other children or their families.

Penelope frowned as she skimmed through the evidence from one of the houses. Every piece of paper had been scanned and uploaded into the system, and she was currently going through the printed calendar page that had hung on the Delacruz refrigerator. Blowing the image up, she saw that the word “aquarium” had been written on the first Saturday of the month that Raina Delacruz had gone missing. The word had been circled a few times and a smiley face had been drawn in red marker. At least one member of the family had been excited about the trip. 

Moving the image to the side of her screen, Garcia started frantically sifting through the evidence collected at the other homes. The Delacruz family didn’t have a membership to the Seattle Aquarium - the cost was prohibitive to a family struggling just to make ends meet - and no credit or debit cards that belonged to family members had been used their either. 

She let out a small whoop of excitement as she found what she was looking for. Two other families with missing children had also had the first Saturday of June circled on their calendar. One was for the same year as the Delacruz family, while the other was from a family whose child had gone missing three years previously.

Garcia’s little victory cry had caught Danny’s attention, and he rushed over to her. “You got something?” 

“It’s tiny, but it might be a lead.”

“Anything would be good at this point.”

“Can you grab Detective Sharpe for me? I need to ask him a local question.”

Danny nodded and stepped outside of the conference room for a second. He came back in a moment later with the detective that was liaising with them on the case.

“Can I help you, Agent Garcia?” he asked politely.

She nodded emphatically. “The Seattle Aquarium…do they have any kind of yearly events? Maybe involving kids?”

He looked surprised at the question. “Of course. The Aquarium was set up with a large grant from one of our founding families, and they’ve always tried to give back to the community. The first Saturday of every June, they host a huge family day that’s free for everyone. They set up all kinds of learning stations and educational kiosks so that kids can really experience marine life.It’s a huge hit every year. Any business that does any kind of charity work participates.” He frowned, following the line of logic to see where Garcia was headed. “Only a few of the missing children were taken during the month of June, though. If that was where the perp was finding them, wouldn’t they all go missing shortly after the event?”

Danny shook his head. “Not if he’s smart. He could use the event to ID the kids he’s interested in and then find a way to keep track of them. Garcia -“

“I’m already pulling up an employee roster, as well as a list of all the businesses that participate.” She looked up. “It’s probably going to be a long list.”

Danny sat down next to her. “Then it’s a good thing there’s two of us to sift through it.”


	5. Chapter 5

Nora leaned against the wall, taking in a shaky breath. Crowds had never bothered her as a child, but now they were almost unbearable. Aside from the almost two thousand cops that worked inside of the building, the police station was brimming with suspects, felons, and innocent people who had just been in the wrong place at the wrong time. There were people reporting crimes, and people arguing about traffic violations. There were also some family members who came in to have lunch with people who worked there. To the rest of the team, she was sure it looked no different than most other police stations they had been in over the years. To Nora, it was a madhouse, and it was quickly working past her defenses. They needed to finish their search quickly so that she could find a quiet place to try and get herself balanced again.

Glancing over at Logan, she saw that it was affecting him as well. He wasn’t as sensitive as she was, but his expression was tight and his eyes looked tired. 

“You’re an idiot, you know that?” she said quietly so that only he could hear.

“Don’t start with me.”

“I’m serious.” She waited until Logan met her eyes and then she nodded toward Alex. “You have an anchor. You don’t have to suffer. But you only let him help you when it becomes absolutely necessary. Why?”

Logan shrugged uncomfortably, not looking towards their colleague. “He never asked to be my anchor.”

“So?”

“So I don’t really fancy ruining a man’s life just because he’s…I don’t know…fated to be my anchor.” He clenched his jaw. “Did you know that he and his girlfriend broke up?”

“I thought something might have happened.”

“Do you know why they broke up?”

“Do you?” Nora asked pointedly. “Or are you just assuming that it was because of you?”

“Can’t be easy to have a relationship with someone when you’re stuck having to touch a completely different person all the time. Think about it - how is the man ever supposed to have a normal kind of life? Anyone he gets involved with will have to be okay with me hanging around for the rest of their lives just because Alex was unlucky enough to be chosen as my anchor. Either that, or he’s going to have to hide that part of his life from her. And that’s not fair, Nora.”

“So you’ve decided to take the moral high road and become a martyr? You’re just going to suffer through this and try to keep him out of it?”

“You do it.”

Nora pushed away from the wall and got in his face. “I don’t have a choice,” she hissed. “You were lucky enough to find your anchor, Logan. Don’t you dare turn that away just because it might get complicated.”

Logan opened his mouth to respond, but then Alex was joining them, one hand resting for a long moment on the small of Logan’s back. Nora watched her oldest friend shut his mouth as the tightness left his face. 

“Everything okay?” Alex asked.

Nora hooked a thumb at Logan. “This idiot doesn’t know how to ask for help.”

A small smirk tugged at Alex’s mouth, though it didn’t reach his eyes. “I’ve noticed.” He looked over his shoulder at the room full of people. “You guys found anything yet?”

“Some of these people definitely shouldn’t be cops,” Nora said, “but I don’t think any of them are snatching kids off the street.” Her eyes narrowed at one cop in particular. “That one is raping prostitutes, though.”

“You going to tell Hotch?” Alex asked.

She shook her head. “McGarrett. Not sure if anything can be done through official channels. Steve can at least get the guy alone and put the fear of God into him.” Nora sighed. “We still have to go through all of the cops out on assignment right now, too. And any that are home sick…”

“Why don’t we go see if anyone else has narrowed down the field,” Alex suggested calmly, once again touching Logan’s back. “If nothing else, the two of you need a break.”

Logan looked like he wanted to argue, but Nora shot him a look and he just shrugged. Alex’s hand lingered for a moment longer and then he pulled away, turning back towards the conference room where the rest of their team was.


	6. Chapter 6

“We’ve got leads,” Penelope said as soon as they walked into the room. “At least on one of the profiles.”

“Which one?” Hotch asked.

“The larger group of kids. It turns out that the Seattle Aquarium hosts this big family fun day every year that’s free to the entire city. A lot of lower income families use it as their one trip to the facility, because a regular membership is too expensive for people just trying to put food on the table.”

“And we know that all of the families went there?”

“No, but we know that at least half of them did,” Danny said. “We went back through evidence from the old crime scenes and talked to some of the families. They remember the victims going to this thing.” He shrugged. “It was the biggest connection we could find.”

“So we started digging,” Garcia continued. “We looked through employees of the aquarium, and we sifted through all of the companies that donated time or set up a booth at the event.”

“Any of them have records?” Dave asked.

“Nothing relevant. The aquarium is super strict about who is allowed to participate.”

“But you kept digging,” Emily guessed.

“Of course. It’s what I do.” She held up a finger. “And,” she continued, drawing the word out, “I found some very suspicious bank activity going on for three individuals.”

“How suspicious?” Emily asked.

“Very. Especially considering that each of them has two bank accounts.”

Morgan shrugged. “Plenty of people have more than one bank account, baby girl.”

“Do they usually open them under aliases?” When no one answered, she continued. “The accounts that are in their real names are pretty standard and fit in with their employment records. The secondary accounts, though, have a lot more movement in them and a lot more money.” 

“How much money are we talking, Penelope?” Hotch asked.

“They’re definitely buying and selling something, sir. I would go so far as to suggest trafficking.”

There were a few moments of silence as everyone digested that. Detective Sharpe was the first to speak again.

“That fits one of your profiles, doesn’t it? A group of men trafficking children?”

Morgan nodded. “The low-income families. As sad as it is, they don’t generate the same amount of public outcry as children from wealthier areas. And it’s possible that they’ve taken kids we don’t even know about because no one ever reported them missing. If families are worried about INS, they tend not to involve the police.”

“We’ve got names and addresses, Garcia?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Alright. Steve and Danny, take one of the addresses. Morgan, Dave, and I will take the second -“

The door opened behind them and JJ came in. Hotch frowned at her.

“Cody’s mom needed a break,” she said quietly. “Her sister is there and they asked me to leave them alone for a little bit. I wasn’t getting anything useful there anyway.”

He nodded, but before he could finish giving out assignments, Nora spoke up.

“I’ll take the third address with JJ and Emily.”

Hotch shook his head. “I think it would be better -“

“It makes the most sense,” she interrupted. “Reid can stay here with Garcia and keep digging. Logan and Alex can keep working on the other profile.” Hotch still didn’t look convinced. “We’re just asking questions,” she added. 

“Fine. But if it looks like you’re going to get any trouble, wait for backup.”

JJ and Emily nodded, but Nora was already heading out the door.

“Address went to your phone!” Garcia called after her.


	7. Chapter 7

“How do you like working with McGarrett?” Emily asked as they drove toward their location. 

Nora kept her eyes on the road. “It’s good. We get to take down a lot of bad guys, just like you. And listening to Steve and Danny bicker is always amusing.”

JJ laughed from the backseat. “So we’ve heard.”

“Where were you before the FBI?” Emily asked.

Nora glanced over at her. “I was a diver with the Navy.”

That caught both women off-guard. “Search and rescue?” JJ asked.

Nora shrugged. “Search and rescue, salvage, exploration…the Navy has a lot of reasons for being under the water. They pointed and I dove.”

“How long have you been out?”

“Almost ten years.”

“Why did you leave?” Emily asked.

Nora chuckled. “You were with the State Department, right? Before the BAU?”

“Yeah.”

“Well…why did you leave?”

Emily stared at her for a second before nodding in concession. “I wanted to get out from under my mother’s shadow and prove my worth in my own field.”

Nora thought about that. “Fair enough. I, uh…I had an accident. On my last diving trip. No lasting injuries, but it kind of ruined my taste for diving. I figured at that point it was time to get out. Strauss suggested I join McGarrett’s team.”

“You and Strauss knew each other before you joined the Bureau?” JJ couldn’t keep the surprise out of her voice.

“I’ve known Erin for most of my life,” Nora replied. She pulled up in front of a house and put the car in park. “Here we are. What are the particulars on this guy?”

Emily pulled out her phone and started scrolling through the information Garcia had provided them with. “Um…Mike Cooper, thirty-eight years old, public accountant. Married to Gail for the past ten years. No record.”

“Just a lot of unexplained monetary activity,” JJ added.

Emily nodded. “Under the name Allen Cooper. Allen is his middle name.” Her phone rang and she answered it, putting it on speaker. “Hotch, you’ve got all three of us.”

“Have you spoken to Cooper yet?”

“No, we just got here. Haven’t even gotten out of the car yet.”

“Don’t.”

Emily frowned. “Why?”

“Because Edwards and Draper aren’t home. Garcia managed to triangulate their cell phones, and it looks like they’re all at Cooper’s house.”

“No extra cars in the driveway,” Nora noted.

“Two-bay garage is closed though,” JJ pointed out.

“We’re coming to you,” Hotch said. He hung up and the line went dead.

“That’s crap,” Nora muttered.

“What is?” Emily asked.

“Hotch. He wouldn’t have told us to sit tight and wait if we had some big strapping boys to go in with us. This guy is our best lead, and for all we know, there are kidnapped kids in that house.”

“You really think they keep the kids here in suburbia?” JJ asked skeptically.

“Maybe not, but I’m not one to sit around and wait.” She looked around. “You two can stay here. I’m not looking to get you in trouble with your boss.”

“Our boss,” JJ pointed out gently.

“No,” Nora said firmly. “Your boss. My boss is McGarrett and he would trust me to do my job. Which is exactly what I’m going to do.”

Without another word, Nora opened the door and stepped out of the SUV. JJ and Emily shared a look before they got out as well. Hotch had told them to wait, but they couldn’t let one of their own go in without any backup; they could deal with their boss’ wrath later.

Nora was knocking on the door as they stepped onto the porch to join her. It opened and Mike Cooper stood there, a polite smile on his face. None of the women missed the fact that it didn’t reach his eyes.

“Can I help you ladies?” he asked.

Nora held up her badge. “Mr. Cooper, my name is Agent Matthews. These are agents Jareau and Prentiss. May we come in?”

“I’m afraid I don’t understand.”

“It’s fairly simple, Mr. Cooper. We’d like to come in and ask you a few questions.”

“About what?”

“Missing children.”

He laughed nervously, crossing his arms over his chest. “I don’t know anything about missing children.”

JJ tilted her head to one side. “That’s an odd thing to say.”

“Is it?”

“The fact that children have been going missing in your city has been all over the news. I’m sure you’ve at least heard the story in passing. So why did you say you don’t know anything about them?”

The man rolled his shoulders, trying to make himself look bigger. He outsized Emily and JJ, but Nora had at least an inch on him and she stood up as straight as possible so that he couldn’t forget it.

“I meant that I didn’t know anything about those cases. Nothing that hasn’t been on the news, anyway. I don’t see how I could possibly help you.”

Emily gave a little shrug. “Why don’t you let us be the judge of that? I’m sure you want to help in any way that you can.”

Another man came up behind Cooper, laying a heavy hand on his shoulder. “Of course we do,” he said, his voice deep and soothing. Nora’s eyes immediately zeroed in on the new threat - he was considerably bigger than her and had the look of a former college athlete that had never let himself go to seed.

“Come on in,” the newcomer said, a smile on his face. “Can I get you ladies a glass of water?”


	8. Chapter 8

Despite the fact that they declined multiple offers of refreshments, three glasses of water found their way to the coffee table in front of the couch. JJ and Emily both sat on that particular piece of furniture, but they kept themselves to the edge as though they weren’t keen on making themselves too comfortable. Nora had turned down repeated offers to take a seat; instead, she stood by the cold fireplace, facing the room. She didn’t like the fact that she felt trapped, but it was better than leaving her back open to anybody that might come up behind her. 

Cooper and his friend - who they now knew as Stan Draper, another one of Garcia’s suspicious people - stood between them and any kind of exit. Nora glanced at her two colleagues, and she could see that they were weighing their options as well, in case things turned south suddenly.

“Now how exactly do you ladies think we can help you?” Stan asked, crossing his arms over his chest even as he gave them a wide smile. “I can assure you that we haven’t seen the missing boy.”

He said it with such confidence that it was almost impossible to doubt his words. At the same time, Nora didn’t think he had been involved in Cody’s disappearance. 

“We’re actually not here about him,” Emily said.

Cooper frowned, his eyes angry. “But you said -“

“We said that we wanted to ask you about missing children. Cody is only one of those children.”

“And we actually believe Mr. Draper here,” Nora added. “I don’t think you know a single thing about that boy.”

Cooper’s anger was building. “But you think we know something about the other kids?”

“The two of you both man kiosks at the Seattle Aquarium, don’t you?” JJ asked suddenly.

Stan shrugged. Nora kept her gaze locked on him; he was by far the more dangerous of the two men, and if he was smart, he would keep Cooper’s mouth shut as much as possible.

“That’s just once a year,” he said nonchalantly. “What…you think we saw something? That the kids are getting taken there?”

“We think that our kidnapper might be targeting the children there,” Emily confirmed. 

Stan shook his head, looking as though he were wracking his brain for a memory that wasn’t there. “I’m sorry. I really wish I could help you, but…I don’t remember seeing any of those kids.”

“Maybe you could take a look at some pictures before you make such a sweeping statement,” Nora said.

JJ pulled out a folder containing the pictures of all of their missing children. Moving slowly and carefully, she laid each photo out on the coffee table. She kept her focus on the task at hand, but both Nora and Emily watched the reactions of their two suspects.

It was all the confirmation that they needed. Stan Draper had done a very good job of appearing completely normal up until that point. Nora was sure that his smile got him out of trouble without any real effort. Unlike his friend Cooper, his expressions were consistent even through the eyes.

The man was most likely a sociopath. 

Something in him changed when he saw the pictures, though. There wasn’t the glee of a child looking at his toys that Nora was expecting, but there was a pride. If the BAU was right, these men had been targeting kids at the aquarium and trafficking them for years. They were patient, and they were very, very good. 

It might have been a sick thing to be proud of, but at least it made some kind of sense. 

As Stan’s eyes moved away from the photos, his gaze locked with Nora’s. She saw the moment that he realized he’d been made. There was no fear, though. He just looked like a man trying to figure out an unexpected problem.

“You’re sure you’ve never seen them?” JJ asked. Both she and Emily shifted slightly in their seats, and Nora knew that they were gearing up for trouble.

“I really wish I could help you,” he said. His voice was soft, and he was still looking at Nora. “You have to understand how many kids come to that family day every year. I don’t think there’s any way we could possibly remember a few faces.”

Nora didn’t say anything. Emily must have sensed that something was subtly shifting in the room; she tried to keep the men talking. Hotch was on his way, and he was bound to have adequate backup.

“Well, we knew it was a long shot,” she said. “If you don’t mind, though, we have one other thing we’d like to discuss with you.”

It was Cooper who answered, his agitation clear in his voice. “And what’s that?”

“Bank accounts,” Nora said.

There was a moment of silence before all hell broke loose.


	9. Chapter 9

Hotch’s eyes were blazing as he came out of the SUV. JJ and Emily exchanged a nervous glance, but Nora faced him head on.

“I specifically told you to wait,” he snapped.

Nora gave a pointed look to the five suspects - Cooper and Draper seemed to have a lot of friends in on the scheme - she and the other women had apprehended. “We seem to have it all under control.”

Hotch took in a deep breath, his jaw set. “That is not the point -“

“No,” Nora cut in, pointing her finger at him, “the point is that if it had been Morgan or McGarrett, you wouldn’t have told them to wait for backup. And even if you had, you wouldn’t have been furious if they had made a different call. I know your type, Hotchner - you look like you treat everyone the same, but when it comes right down to it, you don’t trust your women in the field as much as you do your men.”

“My trust is not an issue right now. I gave you a direct order -“

She stepped forward so that her face was in his. “You don’t give me orders,” she growled. “You’re not my team leader. And quite frankly -“

Nora stopped suddenly, her body going rigid. Ignoring Hotch for the moment, she turned and looked at the scene around her. The five suspects were being piled into the SUVs by Morgan and JJ. Emily and Rossi stood slightly to the side, eyeing the arguing agents warily. The driveway that they stood in was shaded, the large house blocking the afternoon sun from beating down on them. Everything looked okay.

She realized with a start that Hotch was talking again, no doubt chastising her, but Nora just held up a hand.

“Something’s not right,” she said quietly.

As angry as he was with her, Hotch immediately cut off his tirade and looked at the house. 

“I thought you said you cleared it.”

“We did. There’s no one else in that house.”

He frowned. “Then what -“

Nora felt something shift and she reached out without a second thought. Her left hand grabbed the neck of Hotch’s tac vest and she threw him to the side. Before he’d even hit the ground, she felt a sharp sting across the top of her head and then she was being thrown back. Three bullets slammed into her chest, slowed down by her own vest. The force of them was violent though, and she stumbled as she struggled to stay on her feet. 

For just a moment, the tableau in front of her was frozen. Morgan and JJ had taken refuge behind the still-open doors of the SUVs, while Emily and Dave took cover behind the large trash cans that were lined up along the side of the house. Hotch had landed at the front of one of the SUVs, the vehicle shielding him from the bullets that were suddenly filling the air. She could see his mouth moving as he gestured at her to get back, to get out of the way, but Nora’s focus was already moving toward the street.

That was where the bullets were coming from. 

She was back on her feet without even realizing it, one hand stretched out as though she could simply tell the bullets to stop. Maybe she could. Though shots were still being fired, the bullets were no longer striking the SUVs or the dumpsters that her colleagues were taking refuge behind. They seemed to be stopping in mid-air. 

Nora didn’t stop to see the reactions of the other agents. She didn’t see Morgan stick his head out cautiously, mouth falling open in disbelief as a bullet seemed to hit an invisible wall in front of him and land on the ground. She didn’t see Hotch getting back to his feet, and she certainly didn’t hear him yelling at her to take cover. 

Her chest hurt and the top of her skull was on fire and Nora was pissed. 

As she passed the SUV and made her way back out onto what should have been a quiet suburban street, she reached behind her and pulled out one of her backup weapons. The safety was clicked off less than a second later, and she aimed it at the second-story windows across the street. She fired three shots in quick succession and then turned her attention to another of the upstairs windows on the far end of the house. The shooter was still there, pointing his gun right at her; he got off two shots before she fired her weapon again and silenced him. 

Both struck her chest and forced her back a couple of steps. 

Those two shooters neutralized, she scanned the rest of the street, waiting for someone else to take their shot. None came and still Nora kept her gun out and at the ready, turning around in an attempt to cover every angle. 

Finally, voices broke through the anger in her head and she lowered the gun, turning to find the rest of the team coming out onto the street. Rossi came right up to her and took a hold of her arm, concern written across his face.

“Nora?” he asked, and she got the feeling that he’d been saying her name multiple times. “Are you okay?”

She nodded, not knowing what else to do. It was too much. There were too many of them and they were feeling too many things. Her chest tightened and her hands began to shake; she tightened her grip on the gun and pulled herself out of Dave’s grasp.

“I’m fine,” she said, her voice coming out cold and angry. Her attention was suddenly pulled across the street and she stared at where the shooters had been, confused. She doubted that either of them were still alive, and yet… “We need to check that house,” she said. “We didn’t find any evidence of the kids at Cooper’s, but maybe they were using a neighbor in on the scheme to hide them.”

Hotch nodded at the others and Morgan, JJ, and Emily headed toward the house carefully. Nora wanted to tell them that there weren’t any other threats inside, that there was only pain and despair, but she couldn’t put it into words. She watched them go, aware that Hotch and Rossi had stayed with her. 

“You saved Aaron’s life,” Rossi said quietly. “How did you know someone was going to start shooting?”

Nora just looked from him to Hotch and shook her head. 

“You took quite a few hits to your vest,” Hotch said. “We need to make sure none of them got through.”

“I’m fine,” she repeated.

“You need to get checked out.”

Nora shook her head. “I need…I need to get out of here.”

Clicking the safety on and slipping the gun back into the waistband of her pants, Nora walked away without another word. She worried for a moment that one of them would follow her, maybe try to stop her, but then she was opening the door of the SUV and climbing behind the wheel. She didn’t remember pulling the keys out, but the ignition was started and she pulled away from the curb.


	10. Chapter 10

Logan found her in the parking lot of their hotel, just sitting there with the car running as she struggled to breathe. Nora didn’t ask how he had found her, but she let him turn the vehicle off and help her out, her feet slightly unsteady as they hit the pavement. 

She couldn’t focus on it properly, but she heard Logan murmuring a constant string of words as he led her up to her room. His voice was comforting. He was her oldest and closest friend in the entire world - the only person who knew absolutely everything about her. His words didn’t stop even once they were in her room and Nora realized that he was asking her a question when he reached up and cupped her face in his hands. She struggled to focus. 

“Nora? You still with me?”

She nodded, but realized that he wanted some kind of verbal recognition. “I…I had to get out of there, Logan.”

“I know you did, love. It’s a damn good thing you didn’t go into that second house with the others.”

“Did they find something?” Had she been gone long enough to give them time to find anything?

Logan nodded as he started to undo her vest. “Two kids were there. One of ‘em was on our list, the other wasn’t…I imagine his family are here illegally and couldn’t risk going to the cops to report him missing.”

“Are they okay?”

“They’re alive.”

“Did they…were there any bodies?”

“None that they’ve found. Garcia is digging through their fairly extensive technology collection right now. If anybody can link them to their network of scumbag perverts, it’s her. The poor thing is going to need a week of happy kitten photos to recover from this one.”

They both knew that there wasn’t really any recovery from cases like this.

“Neither of them was Cody, were they?”

Logan shook his head. “We didn’t think he would be though, remember? He’s part of the other group of children.”

“The bastards we still need to catch.”

“Exactly.”

He had her vest off and he was moving his hands over her methodically. “Doesn’t look like any of them got through. Just so you know, I think Morgan is having a bit of an internal meltdown about what he saw out there.” Logan frowned suddenly and took a hold of her face again, forcing her to look down. “What’s this?” he demanded. “You’re bleeding!”

Nora reached up a hand to feel the top of her head, but Logan caught her wrist. 

“Did you get…grazed by a bullet?!” he asked.

Nora gave a half-shrug. “It hurts,” she admitted. She pulled her head out of his grasp and gave him a confused look. “Why are you freaking out about this? I took multiple hits to the chest.”

“You were wearing a vest and none of them went through! And even if they had…the head’s a bit more vulnerable than the rest of you!”

She reached out and touched her fingers to his chin. “Can you just clean it up, Logan?”

He stared at her for a moment before letting out a long sigh. “You’re my best friend, Nora, but sometimes you drive me absolutely batty.”

Her smile was sad. “I know,” she whispered.


	11. Chapter 11

Everyone in the conference room fell silent as Nora and Logan came into the room. Danny and Steve only had concern on their faces, but almost everyone else was looking at her as though seeing her in a whole new light. Nora kept her eyes locked on Hotch and addressed him specifically.

“So what’ve we got?”

It was Morgan who answered, though. “That’s all you got?” he asked. “After what happened at that house?”

Hotch frowned. “Morgan -“

“No, come on man. We need to talk about that.”

“Talk about what?” Nora asked. “We’re alive, we found two kids, and we caught some bad guys. I’d call that a success.”

“And you getting shot half a dozen times?”

“They hit my vest.”

“And disobeying direct orders?”

“That’s not really any of your business, is it? How about you let your boss handle that shit and we focus on the case?”

Morgan gave her a hard glare. “And the other stuff?”

Reid frowned. “What other stuff?”

Hotch held up a hand. “That’s enough,” he said firmly. “Nora may have gone against my orders, but she believed that children were in immediate danger. She did exactly what you would have done, Morgan.”

“Yeah, and you would have chewed my ass out for it.”

“And if you’ll recall, I was in the process of doing that to Nora when people started shooting at us.” He took a few calming breaths. “But we do still have kids missing. We have five men to question. We have two dead men to identify and tie into this whole thing.” He looked around the room pointedly. “We have a lot of work to do.”

Steve nodded at Nora. “Alex filled us in on what you guys found from your tour around the precinct. Based on that, Garcia’s gotten us a list of anybody who wasn’t here this morning. You want to start making rounds?”

She rubbed at her forehead. Between the bullet graze and stress of interacting with so many people at once, she was starting to get a nasty headache. “How many park rangers do we have?” she asked.

Penelope answered. “17.”

“Why does Seattle need park rangers?” JJ asked. “It’s mostly city.”

“The city has a lot of parks, though,” Reid answered. “The mayor in 2005 suggested that park rangers be added to the roster to patrol the parks and help clean them up. They’re not armed - there’s been talk about pepper spray, but no decisions have been made yet - and they act as a first point of contact for businesses around the parks and patrons. If the situation isn’t good, but doesn’t warrant calling 9-1-1, they can call the rangers.”

“Not armed,” Danny mused. “Does that still fit our profile?”

“I think it might make an even stronger case for it,” Emily replied. “He wears a uniform, which should symbolize a position of authority, but he doesn’t really have any way of backing that authority up. He has to rely on his charm and his words to ease tense situations.”

“Meaning he’d blend well,” Alex said.

Emily nodded. “Exactly. And if the problems never really go away - drugs, gangs, whatever - and eventually the “real” cops have to be called in, it would emasculate him. Make him angry.”

Alex frowned. “So we’re saying that he takes these kids, not because he’s a preferential offender, but because he’s hitting the city back where it hurts?”

“Sick fuck,” Danny muttered, shaking his head.

“Do you have a list of park rangers, Garcia?” JJ asked.

Penelope scoffed and tapped a key on her computer. “Do I have a…of course I have a list, JJ. And now it’s on your phone for you to view in all its glory.”

JJ gave her a smile, but it quickly faded into a pinched expression. “Is this right? Harry Lewiston?”

“You know him?” Logan asked.

JJ didn’t answer him. “Do you have a picture, Garcia?”

“Just a second,” the analyst said, tapping a few more keys. Then a picture was up on the big screen and JJ was pointing at it.

“Cody’s dad died three years ago when he got caught in the crossfire of a gang dispute,” she explained. “He and his mom had a really tough time with it, and his mom says they only got through because her husband’s best friend moved in and supported them through it all.”

“That best friend being Harry Lewiston?” Steve asked.

“Yep.”

Hotch got to his feet. “Dave and JJ, you’re coming with me to Cody’s house.”

“Take Nora,” Steve said. He held up a hand before Hotch could protest. “Trust me. Take Nora.” 

Hotch gave a terse nod. “Fine. There’s a lot to be done here. McGarrett - your people can handle interviewing the men we have in custody, but I recommend you use Morgan as well. Reid - keep going through our suspect pool. Emily - dig into Lewiston’s life. And Penelope -“

“Keep hunting the bad guys’ bank accounts and contacts so that we can find out who they’re selling kids to?”

“Exactly.”

Hotch, Dave, and JJ headed out of the conference room, but Logan took a hold of Nora’s elbow to hold her back.

“Are you up to this?” he asked quietly. “That mother is going to be a wreck.”

“Do I really have a choice?” she asked. “We need to find this kid.”

“I know. I just…don’t push yourself too hard, Nora. You’re already on the edge.”

She reached out and gave his hand a squeeze, trying to give him a reassuring smile as well. She wasn’t sure how successful she was.

“I’ll be careful,” she whispered.

And then she was gone.


	12. Chapter 12

Nora didn’t pay attention to the conversation in the SUV on the way to Cody’s house. The headache was only growing stronger and her hands were starting to shake. Logan had been right to tell her to be careful. Her body wasn’t handling the stress as well anymore, and she was about to put it through more. 

She was so lost in her thoughts that she looked up in surprise when the SUV finally came to a stop. 

“Are you okay?” JJ asked.

Nora just nodded and opened her door. “I’m fine.”

She let the others go ahead of her as she looked up at the house warily. Even from that distance, she could tell that there was a lot of pain inside; a mother was grieving her child, sick with worry, praying to any deity that would listen to just bring him home safely. Nora’s footsteps became heavy and she stumbled on front step, reaching out and catching the house to keep herself upright.

The pain and fear that rushed through her hit her system like a tractor trailer. She pulled her hand back as though she’d been burned, stumbling back down onto the walkway as the entire world spun. Her skin felt like it was on fire and her head pounded, threatening to explode. Nora turned away and vomited into the garden, her stomach heaving violently. Tears sprang to her eyes as her body continued to react and she squeezed them shut, willing it all to just stop.

When it finally did, she was left weak and shaking. Nora wiped at her face, the other hand still clutching her stomach.

“Oh my god,” JJ exclaimed, one hand resting on her lower back. “Are you okay?”

She wasn’t even close, but there was no way she could explain what had just happened - at least not at the moment. So she just nodded and stood back up. 

“Any chance you’ve got a mint?” she asked, ignoring the looks she was getting from Hotch and Rossi.

JJ reached into her pocket and pulled out a small pack. “Gum?” she offered.

“That’ll do.”

Nora felt a little better as she focused on chewing the gum and getting the taste of her own vomit out of her mouth, but it wasn’t going to do her much good. She still had to go inside. She still had to meet Cody’s mother. She took a deep breath and nodded at the others that she was okay to continue.

She knew that she should have been focusing on what Hotch was saying as he introduced the group to Mrs. Brauer. Her new colleagues were damn good at their job and she should have been listening, trying to help them pick up on clues that would lead them to finding Cody. At the very least, she should have been watching them in action so that she could learn more about them; whether anyone liked it or not, the two teams were one now and they were going to have to work together more smoothly than they had been on this case.

But she couldn’t focus.

Not on the other people in the room, anyway. Mrs. Brauer’s pain and grief were overwhelming, threatening to send Nora to her knees, but she struggled against that. There was something else, something that had made her throw up before she’d even crossed the threshold. She pushed Mrs. Brauer into the furthest corner of her mind and looked around the house, trying to grasp what was at the edge of her senses.

She didn’t see the way that Hotch looked at her even as he talked with the boy’s mother. She didn’t see the worried glances from JJ and she didn’t notice that Rossi was keeping close to her. Something in the house was so wrong that it made her hurt inside, and that didn’t make any sense. The pain should have all been coming from Mrs. Brauer. There was no one else for Nora to be feeling. 

“Mrs. Brauer?” she said abruptly, turning to face the woman who had tear stains running down her face. “Would it be okay if I looked around?”

“The other agents already did that,” she said, obviously confused. “But whatever you think will help…”

Nora nodded and turned away, already blocking their continued conversation out. Instead, she decided to search the entire house, starting with the basement. Unlike heat, evil tended to sink, and she figured that her best bet of finding something would start downstairs. 

There were quiet footsteps behind her, and for the first time, Nora realized that Rossi was actually following her. She waited until they were off the stairs before turning to face him.

“Can I help you?”

He spread his hands. “Maybe I can help you. I’m not intruding and I’m not babysitting, Nora. I just want to find Cody and you look like maybe you’re on to something.”

Arguing with him wasn’t going to get her anywhere, so she turned and started looking through the dimly lit basement. “Something’s not right.”

“With the case or with Mrs. Brauer?”

“With the house.”

“What do you mean?”

“I can’t explain it.”

“I think maybe you could.”

“Fine, I refuse to explain it. Happy?”

“No,” Rossi replied. “But I’m guessing that I can’t force you to tell me, and it seems pointless to argue about something like that right now.”

“My thoughts exactly.”

“So what are we looking for?” he asked.

“I wish I -“ She stopped dead in her tracks and looked up. They were against the far wall of the basement, somewhere near the living room. The light didn’t reach as well back there, so Nora pulled out her phone and turned on the flashlight app. The ceiling above her was much easier to see then, but for a second, she didn’t quite understand what she was looking at.

“Is that a padlock?” Dave asked.

Nora nodded. “Can you get me a chair or something?”

Dave disappeared for a moment and then came back with a small stepladder. He unfolded it for her directly under the padlock and then steadied it. Nora climbed up until she was right under the ceiling, holder her phone up to get a good look.

“That’s a damn thick lock,” she said. Her fingers traced the edges of what she could now see was a hatch. “I don’t think I can pick this.”

“Maybe we don’t have to. We can ask Mrs. Brauer for the key.”

Nora wasn’t listening anymore. She pressed her palm flat against the hatch and fought down the bile that rose up into her throat. Whatever was wrong with the house, it was on the other side of the that door. She managed to keep her stomach steady, but the pain and despair that flowed down her arm made her shaking start up again and she started breathing heavily.

“Nora?”

She didn’t answer. Her phone slipped out of her hand and she was off the stepladder and heading for the stairs, her heart thudding against her chest like it wanted to burst. She didn’t slow down for the door back onto the ground floor; instead, she slammed right through, startling the others.

Hotch frowned. “Nora?”

She didn’t answer him. She stared at the wall behind the couch, doing calculations in her head. Either that wall shouldn’t be there, or the hatch downstairs shouldn’t be. But they both were, and her mind was having a hard time wrapping around that fact. 

“What’s behind that wall?” she asked.

Mrs. Brauer, finally confused enough to push her grief back for the moment, shook her head. “Nothing. It’s a solid wall.”

“Can’t be.”

“Nora, what are you talking about?” Hotch asked.

It was Dave who answered. “We found a door downstairs that comes up onto this floor. Pretty hefty lock on it.” He eyed the wall that Nora was still staring at. “It would come up somewhere under that wall,” he agreed.

Mrs. Brauer was shaking her head again. “What door? There’s nothing locked down there. There’s nothing behind that wall.”

Nora reached out and touched the wall with her fingertips. It was enough to send a powerful jolt through her body and she felt a wetness thicker than tears building in her eyes. She wondered if she was crying blood again. Struggling to fight it back, she looked over at Mrs. Brauer. 

“You’d do anything to get your son back, wouldn’t you?”

The woman was standing there, scared and confused, her hand pressed against her chest. “Of course,” she whispered.

There was no malice there. Nora couldn’t feel any secrets, and the fear was all for her son. The agent pointed at the wall. 

“I need to see what’s on the other side of that wall,” she said fervently. “I’d like to have your permission to do it.”

For a moment, the two of them just looked at each other and Nora worried that she was going to have to just go ahead and do it. But then Mrs. Brauer took a deep breath and nodded.

“Do whatever you have to do,” she said. “Find my son.”

Nora didn’t hesitate. She grabbed one end of the couch and tossed it aside like it weighed nothing. The others jumped back to avoid getting hit by it. Then she stepped up to the wall and cocked her head to the side as she studied it.

“Nora!”

She turned at Hotch’s tone, fixing him a hard glare. She didn’t know what he saw in her eyes - tears, blood, or something else, but it made him rethink whatever he was going to say. Before he could come up with something else, Mrs. Brauer was holding up a hand to ward him off.

“I have to find my son,” she said. “Please. If she can find him, I don’t care what she does.”

Nora had already turned back to the wall. Whatever was on the other side was definitely the source of whatever was wrong in the house. Pulling back her left fist, she punched the wall as hard as she could with a hard jab.

The impact should have broken her hand. There were small gasps behind her as the others watched the wall crack instead. Nora pulled back again and again, landing multiple punches to the same spot. She reached out with her mind for Mrs. Brauer’s pain and let it fill her, fueling each hit before she let it fly. 

Then her fist was through.

Nora pulled her hand back out and started grabbing the edges of the hole that she had made. She tore at the wall, breaking fingernails and getting blood on the white paint. But she kept pulling until she had a hole that would fit her shoulders through. It was too dark to see anything.

“I think it’s a room,” she said, reaching a hand out. “Anybody -“

Dave was already there, pressing the phone she had dropped earlier into her hand. Nora turned the flashlight app back on and leaned into the hole.

A part of her recoiled at what she saw inside. The light didn’t illuminate the whole room, but directly across from her, Nora found Cody Brauer chained to a wall, his head hanging forward.

“Shit!”

Nora pulled back out of the hole and started kicking at the bottom of it, making it easier to her body to fit through. Then she was tossing the phone to Rossi and jumping into the hidden room. Her hand immediately went to Cody’s neck, feeling for a pulse. It took her a moment to find it under her own panic, but it was there. 

Everything that had happened that day suddenly surged to the surface. Nora reached out and took a hold of one of the chains where it was mounted to the wall and pulled with everything that she had. The chain ripped out of the wall with a crash and Cody moaned quietly. She reached out and did the same with the rest of the chains, catching his small body in her arms and cradling him against her. 

She turned to find Dave standing there, heartache clear in his eyes as he held the phone up to light the room. He stepped aside as Nora approached; she lifted one leg and eased her way back into the once-tidy living room and Dave reached out, gently pulling the tape away from Cody’s mouth.

There was a low cry and then Mrs. Brauer was lurching forward, hands stretched out for her boy. Her sobs were loud and ugly as she took him from Nora and held him tightly. Nora couldn’t make out entire sentences, but she understood the gist of it. Cody had been in the house the entire time and she hadn’t known it. Her baby had been dying on the other side of her living room wall. 

“Oh my god.”

Everyone except for Mrs. Brauer turned at the horror in Rossi’s voice. Nora went to join him at the hole in the wall, peering inside again.

There was another boy chained to another wall. 

David turned to Hotch. “We’re going to need bolt cutters.”

“No we’re not,” Nora said. 

She climbed back through the hole, and using the light that Rossi was still holding, she went over to the boy. His skin was a deep brown, and as she peered at his face, she thought she recognized him from their pictures of missing children. She couldn’t remember his name, but the only thing that mattered was getting him down from the wall and to a hospital as soon as possible. 

“I’ve already called for a bus and the rest of the team,” Hotch said quietly. 

Nora just nodded and ripped the chains out of the wall again. The rage and pain had spread through her entire body, and it didn’t take any effort at all to call it up. Holding the boy to her chest tightly, she pulled the tape from his mouth. He took in a shuddering breath and his eyes fluttered open for a moment before closing again. He was too light in her arms.

She carried him back out into the living room, her eyes immediately going to Cody and his mother before meeting Hotch’s gaze. 

“Lewiston.”

He nodded. “We’ll get him.”

Mrs. Brauer was shaking her head, wailing over and over again that she didn’t understand. JJ had her arms around the woman, doing her best to comfort her. 

“For the second time, her entire world has fallen apart,” Rossi said under his breath. “I wonder how she’s going to reconcile this.”

“She has her son,” Hotch reminded them. “If nothing else, she can live for him. Everything else…it pairs in comparison.” They were interrupted by the ambulance pulling into the driveway. Hotch glanced over his shoulder at the paramedics jogging toward the front door and then looked at Nora.

“We need to talk once you get him settled in the ambulance.”

She shook her head. “No, we don’t.”

“Nora -“

“We don’t have anything to discuss, Hotchner. And I’m going with him to the hospital.”

She brushed past him without another word, intercepting one of the paramedics and following him back to the ambulance.


	13. Chapter 13

As soon as Steve entered the hospital and caught sight of Hotch, he knew the man was upset, and not just because of the case. JJ had already called him and given him a heads up in a low voice that was meant to only carry over the phone instead of to the people around her. His blood was still singing from the takedown, but he knew he couldn’t put Hotch off - not if what JJ had told him was true, and there was no reason for him to think she was exaggerating. 

“Hotchner,” he called, striding up to him.

The older man gave him a terse nod. “McGarrett. You caught Lewiston?”

“Yeah. Turns out he kept a small apartment on the other side of the city from the Brauer house. Once we got your call, we headed over there and caught him sleeping. He’s got some serious rage issues.”

“Feelings of impotence usually do that to people. What about the men you were interrogating?”

Steve made a frustrated noise. “We couldn’t get anything out of them. Morgan’s about ready to put his fist through a wall. Garcia’s making some headway with the digital trail, but this thing is huge, Hotch. It looks like this was the hub where the operation started, but kids were shipped all over the country. Some of them even went overseas. It’s going to take months to untangle it. Garcia is getting the local field office set up to keep digging, and we’ve already called Katie Cole and the Crimes Against Children unit. They’ll lend as much manpower as they can to take this thing down.”

“Good.” Hotch rolled his shoulders back and looked Steve right in the eye. “We need to talk about Nora.”

Steve was already shaking his head. “You know I can’t -“

“Bullshit,” Hotch said, cutting him off. “I watched that woman punch through a wall today. She ripped chains out of another wall. I -“ Hotch stopped and looked around to make sure that no one else was close enough to hear. “I saw bullets stop in mid-air,” he hissed. “Something is going on, and you know what it is.”

“I do,” Steve admitted. “But -“

“But nothing,” Hotch pressed. “I gave you latitude, McGarrett, but this affects us all. I need to know what’s going on so that I can properly lead this team.”

“I’m not disagreeing with you, Aaron,” Steve said fervently. “But you have to understand that certain things are not mine to share.”

“That’s not good enough.”

“Then I don’t know what to tell you. I can lean on Nora, ask her to trust you with it. But I can’t make her tell you and I wouldn’t even if I could. And you can go to Strauss, but she’s going to tell you the same thing.”

Hotch’s eyes narrowed. “Strauss knows?”

“Of course she knows. Look, Hotchner…I get that this is a bum deal. I get that we’re not earning any points with you and your team. All I can tell you is that Nora - and Logan - are damn good at their jobs. They can do things that other people can’t. Nora can be rough around the edges, I can admit that. If she ever tells you the whole story, you’ll understand why. But they’re loyal, Hotchner. They will step in front of a bullet for any one of you. And they’ll bust their asses every day of the week to put scumbags behind bars.”

Hotch glared at him for a moment. “I don’t like this.”

“I know. But unless you want to go above Strauss’ head over this…”

Hotch looked around again, taking deep breaths. “Is she a danger?”

“To bad guys? You bet your ass. To this team? No.”

“I want her to talk eventually.”

“I’ll try to convince her.”

Hotch gave him a hard look. “Try hard.”


	14. Chapter 14

Rossi paused outside of the hospital room. Nora sat inside with Damien Scott, the second boy found inside of the Brauer home. She held his hand, eyes locked on his small body. The physical contact surprised Dave; so far, Nora seemed to avoid touching people as much as possible. 

And then she began to sing. It was not a song that Rossi knew, but her voice was clear and just loud enough for the words to reach him.

It started out as a feeling  
Which then grew into a hope  
Which then turned into a quiet thought  
Which then turned into a quiet word  
And then that word grew louder and louder  
'Til it was a battle cry  
I'll come back when you call me  
No need to say goodbye

Just because everything's changing  
Doesn't mean it's never been this way before  
All you can do is try to know who your friends are  
As you head off to the war  
Pick a star on the dark horizon and follow the light  
You'll come back when it's over  
No need to say goodbye  
You'll come back when it's over  
No need to say goodbye

Now we're back to the beginning  
It's just a feeling and no one knows yet  
But just because they can't feel it too  
Doesn't mean that you have to forget  
Let your memories grow stronger and stronger  
'Til they're before your eyes  
You'll come back when they call you  
No need to say goodbye  
You'll come back when they call you  
No need to say goodbye

It took him a minute to see the ugly black lines underneath Damien’s skin. He was sure that they hadn’t been there before, but now they were moving down his arm, writhing as though they were alive. They traveled down to the hand that Nora was holding and then Dave could see them move across her skin. The lines were stark against her pale color; they continued to move up her arm like a mass of snakes seeking prey. 

Her voice broke on a note and it brought Rossi’s attention back to her face. He found himself staring in disbelief at the tears of blood falling from her eyes. A part of him told him that he should move, that he should break the connection between them. But when he looked at Damien’s arm again, he saw that the black lines were now completely gone from him. It was like Nora had pulled them out and taken them into her own body. 

The song faded, and the black lines seemed to sink further into Nora’s skin until they disappeared as well. Eventually she set Damien’s hand down and wiped at her face with a shaky hand. That was when she noticed Dave standing there.

“His parents will be here shortly.” He didn’t know what else to say.

She nodded, slowly pushing herself to her feet. It looked as though every movement was causing her pain. “Good.”

“What did I just see?” he asked as she moved to brush past him.

“You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.”

“Try me.”

Nora just shook her head and walked out.


	15. Chapter 15

The jet ride home was a mixed bag. Hotch was glad to note that the team members were mingling more than they had on the flight out to Washington, but there were still noted pockets of tension. Morgan sat in the back of the plane, his headphones on and an expression that seemed to be equal parts confusion and anger. Alex stared out the window, occasionally sending heavy looks in Logan’s direction, who was having an animated discussion with Rossi. 

And then there was Nora. Though she sat beside Steve and Danny - who were sharing stories of Danny’s daughter with Garcia - she might as well have been sitting alone. Her eyes were dark and her skin was paler than usual. She was wrapped up in a fleece throw despite the warm temperature in the jet. She drank deeply and often from a large traveling mug; Hotch had his suspicions about what was inside it. 

They landed back at Quantico and filed off the jet. Everyone was eager to get home and decompress from the case in whatever way worked best for them. Child cases were never easy, and even though they managed to save a few victims, there were still plenty more that were out there. It was hard when they couldn’t see something through all the way to the end; they just had to trust that the Crimes Against Children unit would do the best that they could.

He wasn’t terribly surprised to find Chief Strauss waiting in his office for him. It had been the team’s first case as a larger unit, and she would naturally want a report on how that went. Hotch just wasn’t sure what he was going to tell her yet. 

“Ma’am,” he greeted, setting his briefcase down and heading for his desk.

“Garcia sent me a preliminary report on what happened in Washington. Your team did good work.”

“Thank you.”

She glanced out into the bullpen. “There’s a lot of tension out there. I take it there were some difficulties?”

“That’s one way to put it,” he said slowly. “I haven’t quite processed everything that happened yet. I was hoping that our briefing could wait until the morning.”

Strauss nodded. “I have no problem with that. There is, however, something that I need to bring to your attention.”

“Okay.”

She held up a finger. “One moment, please.” She walked to door and stuck her head out. “Nora, would you please come in here?”

Hotch frowned, but kept quiet as Nora stepped into the office. Her eyes were looking even more haunted than they had on the plane; she crossed her arms over her chest as Strauss shut the door and looked at the two of them.

“I understand that the two of you just had a very difficult case,” she explained. “And I apologize for having to dump something else on you. But I can’t in good conscience keep this from you.”

“What is it, Erin?” Nora asked, her voice dull and tired. 

Strauss took a deep breath. “George Foyet has requested a meeting. With the both of you.”

The entire room went still. Hotch placed a hand down on his desk, using the sensation to ground him as his mind automatically brought up memories he’d rather had stayed buried. Haley’s lifeless body stretched out on the floor of their old home, the sound of the gunshot through the phone when Foyet had killed her…

“Why me?” Nora asked. “I get why he would want to taunt Hotch, but he doesn’t know me.”

Strauss shrugged. “I don’t know. But he asked for the two of you by name. He wants to speak to you together. In fact, he refused to meet with you at all unless you’re both there.”

Hotch’s head was still swimming, but he fought the memories back, struggling to keep himself present. “That doesn’t make any sense. Nora’s right - if he just wanted to see me, it would be about the torture. Adding Nora to the narrative takes some of that away.”

“I wish I had answers for you,” Strauss replied. “You don’t have to go. I certainly can’t order you, and I wouldn’t even if I could. But I thought you should both be made aware of the request. Like I said before, I know you just got off of a difficult case. But I did call the prison and let them know that you might be coming. It’s your call.”

Strauss nodded at them and then left the office. For a long minute, the two of them just stood there, not making eye contact and not saying a word. Eventually, Nora shifted her weight and looked over at him.

“We’re going, right?”

Hotch hesitated for a moment and then gave a terse nod.


	16. Chapter 16

“What do you know about George Foyet?” Hotch asked as they drove down to Red Onion State Prison.

“Enough.”

Hotch glanced over at her. “That’s not really an answer.”

Nora let out a long sigh, looking out at their surroundings. “I know that he’s the Reaper. I know his crimes. I know that he killed your ex-wife and your brother as his final act of revenge against you for not taking his deal. I know that he probably intended to die that day by your hands, but the rest of your team got there in time to pull the two of you apart and now he’s in prison with lawyers and doctors arguing over whether he’s mentally competent or not.”

Hotch’s grip on the steering wheel tightened as he took a deep breath. “You really think he wanted to die that day?”

She nodded. “That way he could ensure that he would always be inside of your head. It’s not likely that you’d be able to forget the man that you had killed with your bare hands just after he slaughtered your family. If the state tries him, though, and he’s found guilty, he’ll be executed. You’ll have a choice of being there when he dies, and there’s a decent chance that you wouldn’t go, because you know that he would want you there. And of course, you’d want to deny him anything that would bring him any amount of satisfaction. So he’ll die, and you won’t have that lasting image in your head, so eventually your mind will build a wall around any memories of him. You’ll focus on remembering the good times with Haley and Sean, and eventually you won’t waste any time or energy on George Foyet at all. That is not how a man like Foyet wants things to end.”

She wasn’t wrong. “And calling me out here today?”

Nora gave a small shrug. “Like you said, if he had only asked for you, it would seem that he wanted to continue his torture of you. I don’t make any sense in this story.”

“Why did he ask for you?” Hotch pressed. “Do you know Foyet?”

“I only know of him. I’ve never met the man in my life.”

“How else would he know your name? There’s been no time for you to be connected with my team in any newspapers. You must have come across him at some point.”

“I swear to God, Hotch, I have never interacted with George Foyet. Ever. You’ve seen my file - you can check it out for yourself!”

“I have. A large chunk of your file is redacted. Not as much of it as McGarrett’s, but still.”

“Military service. That happens sometimes.”

“Not to mention all of the secrets you’ve been keeping. I know nothing about you - how do I know you’re not keeping this from me too?”

“Goddammit, Hotch!” she snapped. “I am not hiding some secret association with Foyet!”

Hotch looked over at her again, but she was staring out the window. He took a deep breath and tried to settle himself; arguing like this wasn’t going to get them anywhere. 

“Why do you hate me so much?” he asked quietly.

“I don’t -“ Nora sighed, shaking her head before turning to look at him. “I don’t hate you. It’s…it’s a lot of things and you keep managing to piss me off.” She met his gaze squarely. “I swear to you that I have no clue how or why George Foyet even knows my name. And I have no idea how he associated me with you.”

He believed her. “You’re still keeping secrets, though.”

Nora let out a hollow chuckle. “C’mon, Hotch…we’ve known each other less than a week. Of course I’m keeping secrets. Just not about this, okay?”

He nodded. “Okay.”


	17. Chapter 17

This wasn’t the first time that Hotch had walked down the halls of Red Onion State Prison; he didn’t know if Nora could say the same. She was calmer than Prentiss had been, but Hotch wasn’t sure if that was about inner strength, or distraction. Nora didn’t seem to even see the inmates that were throwing themselves at the walls of their cells. She didn’t seem to hear them as they made lewd comments about what they wanted to do to her. She just took it all in as though it were a distant commotion that didn’t affect her. 

Hotch found it easier to focus on her reactions than it was to remember the last time he had been in the prison. He knew it was only natural that he remember his conversation with the Fox and the events that happened afterward, but any distraction here could cost him dearly. If nothing else, Foyet would be thrilled to see him haunted. Hotch needed to remain calm and detached to keep the man from winning any kind of victory.

They were taken to an interrogation room. It wasn’t the same one where they had interviewed the Fox, but it was identical. Instead of Karl Arnold sitting across the table, though, it was George Foyet.

The man hadn’t changed since the last time Hotch had seen him. His eyes lit up with a manic glee at the sight of the agents, and he smiled at them as they sat down.

“I knew you would both come,” he said. “I knew you couldn’t resist.”

Nora leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms. “What do you want?”

Foyet let his eyes travel over her body slowly. “You have grown up beautifully, Nora. Your parents must be so proud. Well,” he said, holding up a finger, “I’m sure they would be if they were still alive.”

She gave him a disgusted look. “Please tell me you didn’t think you could break me with a couple of carefully crafted sentences that showed you know more about my life than you have any business knowing? Yes, my parents are dead. The insinuation that you knew me as a child is ridiculous. I don’t know you. I don’t want to know you. Just say what you need to say so that we can get out of here and back to our lives.”

Foyet was still smiling, but his eyes had gone hard. “Beautiful, but cold. I think somebody broke you, my dear. Or is it just that the burden of living is getting too much for you to bear? I’m guessing you still haven’t found that pesky little anchor of yours.”

Hotch noticed that her hands tightened on her arms, but her face betrayed nothing. He was proud of her for that; he may not have understood what Foyet was talking about, but it was obvious that it was something personal and meaningful for Nora.

“I’m still standing,” she replied.

“Barely.”

She gave him a cold smile. “Maybe. But at least I’m still standing outside and free. While you’re trapped here, pathetically thinking up ways to stay alive in the mind of the man who finally caught you.”

“I let him catch me.”

“No, you planned to haunt Hotch for the rest of his life by letting him kill you. And you failed. Your plan was flawed, and the team got there. So now you’re stuck in a box. And you’re either gonna be stuck here for the next twenty years while you rot away, or you’re gonna take a trip to the chair. Either way, Hotch will be free of you.”

Foyet slammed his fist down on the table, the chain around his wrist clattering against the metal. “HE WILL NEVER BE FREE OF ME!”

Hotch tilted his head as he studied the man that had ruined his life. The outburst should have been calculated and controlled - just like everything else Foyet did - but his eyes were too wild. Nora had hit a nerve, and the conversation was not going as he had planned.

“Is that why you called me here, George?” he asked. “To stay alive in my memory?”

Foyet’s eyes slid over to him. “Do you actually think you could ever forget me, Aaron?”

“I think eventually you’ll just fade away like so many other things.”

The Reaper started to laugh, the sound low and chilling. He laughed and laughed, looking at the two of them as though they had missed the joke he was telling them.

“You just don’t understand, do you?” he asked. “You’re both doomed by events that happened long before you ever met. He and I, we decided that you would suffer until you died, and that’s exactly what you’ll do.” Foyet tilted his head, much like Hotch had a few moments earlier. “I have to admit - when I originally agreed to his plan, I didn’t know just how much fun I would have. But killing all those people, torturing you,” he pointed at Hotch. “It’s all been one hell of a ride, you know? I don’t know if he had as much fun, but he got the job done. That’s really all that matters.”

“Is this the part where we’re supposed to ask who “he” is?” Nora questioned.

Foyet shrugged. “You can. But I won’t tell you. I shouldn’t have to. You already know him. He’s your connection to this whole thing.”

Nora frowned, but it was Hotch who continued the conversation. “And why would the two of you decide that we should suffer so much? You sound as though this started long before you became the Reaper. You didn’t even know me then.”

“I liked the idea of a challenge. He knew what kind of man I was. What kind of man I would become.”

Hotch shook his head. “What’s the point of all this, George? Why would you bring us down here?”

“Because it’s almost over, of course.” He pointed at Nora. “She won’t last much longer. She knows it, too. She can feel it in her bones.” His eyes slid back over to Hotch. “And once she’s gone, there’s no hope for you.” He started laughing again. “I may not be long for this world, boys and girls, but I get to see how this story ends. And what a bloody end it will be. Bloody, bloody, bloody.”

His laughter followed them all the way to the car.


	18. Chapter 18

He had planned to head home, but the meeting with Foyet was still roiling inside of him, and Hotch knew that it was safer to bury himself in paperwork rather than go home to an empty apartment. He wasn’t terribly surprised when Nora stepped into the elevator with him; they didn’t speak for the duration of the ride, though, and she got off one floor before the BAU. A part of him wanted to ask where she was going, but another part of him was relieved when she was gone and it was just him in the elevator.

When the doors opened, depositing him on his own floor, he pulled up short at the sight of Garcia. She was fidgeting and obviously waiting for him.

“Garcia,” he said slowly, “is everything okay?”

“Yes. Well, I think so. I just…I found something that I thought you should see. I know it probably could have waited until tomorrow, but…can you come down to my office?

“Of course.”

He followed her down the hall, wondering what could have put his analyst in this state. He hoped that another case wasn’t about to open; between the ones they’d just solved and his unexpected conversation with Foyet, Hotch wasn’t sure how much he could handle at the moment. 

Once inside her office, Penelope shut the door and bustled over to her computer.

“Okay, so you remember me telling you that Mike Cooper had cameras around his property?”

Hotch nodded, taking a seat beside her. “You were going to give the footage to the local field office so that they could try and identify more suspects or victims.”

“Yes, and I did that. But, well…Derek was really upset about what happened there. I mean, he wouldn’t talk about it much, but I got the feeling that something really crazy happened, and I wanted to see it for myself. I thought, maybe if I knew what had happened, I could help him through it, you know?”

Hotch nodded again. “You’re a good friend, Penelope.”

She gave him a warm smile. “The one thing he did tell me was that Nora took multiple shots to the chest.”

“Yes. Her vest caught them all.”

“When I was watching the footage, I noticed something else.” She pointed to the screen and brought up the video. Nora and Hotch were facing each other, both clearly angry. “There’s no sound, but Morgan gave me the highlights of the conversation,” she said, her voice apologetic.

“It’s okay, Penelope. What did you want me to see?”

“This. Okay, you’re talking and you’re yelling and then Nora stops, right?”

Hotch thought back to the argument. He remembered Nora’s features, twisted in rage; a moment later, though, and she was looking around with worry. “Right. It was like she suddenly got a bad feeling. She said that they had cleared the house, but that something wasn’t right.” 

Garcia enlarged the image so that Hotch and Nora filled the screen. “I’m going to play this in slow motion.”

The image ticked forward in time. Hotch watched as Nora reached out with her left arm and grabbed the neck of his vest. She was strong. Her stance didn’t change at all as she threw him to the side. He knew that the shots to the chest were coming next, but he sat upright in surprise when Nora’s head snapped back. The motion was exaggerated because of the slow motion; in reality, the movement had to have been quick and hard to notice by anyone else. But the three shots to her chest didn’t hit until after her head snapped back.

“Garcia…”

“I did some math. Well, actually, I got Reid to do some math for me. Based on Nora’s height, and the location of the shooters…that first bullet grazed the top of her head. If she hadn’t moved you right when she had, sir…”

“It would have blown out the back of my head,” he finished quietly.

Garcia watched him for a moment. “None of you mentioned any type of injury to her head; maybe she didn’t tell you. I thought you should know, though.”

Hotch slowly got to his feet and rested a hand on Garcia’s shoulder. “Thank you, Penelope. You did the right thing.”

She gave him what she hoped was a reassuring smile and then he turned and walked out of the room.


	19. Chapter 19

Hotch tried to focus on the paperwork in front of him, but his mind drifted and one hand kept drifting up to the back of his head. That was where the bullet would have gone, if Nora hadn’t gotten him out of the way in time. She had saved his life and gotten herself hurt in the process. But he could still see the anger in her eyes as she yelled at him about not being her team leader. He could still hear the ice in her voice as she refused to explain herself, as she dismissed him and walked away.

He was having trouble making the two very different images match up.

A small knock on his door saved him from having to contemplate it any further; at least, that was what he thought until he looked up and saw Nora Matthews standing in the doorway, holding up an expensive bottle of scotch like a shield.

“I think you and I got off on the wrong foot,” she said quietly. “Peace offering?”

Her voice was gentler than he’d heard from her before and it calmed him. He gestured toward the small sitting area and reached for his bottom drawer.

“I have glasses,” he explained.

She gave a half shrug and sat down on the couch. “I’m not above drinking straight from the bottle.”

Hotch smirked, walking over and taking a seat in one of the chairs. “Why doesn’t that surprise me?”

They were quiet while she opened the bottle and poured them both a drink. Hotch let himself savor the taste - he normally wouldn’t spend that much on a bottle, but Nora had splurged - and he found himself comfortable just sitting with her.

“Look,” she said finally, tucking her hair behind her ear, “I can’t take back everything I said. Mostly because I meant most of it. But…that doesn’t mean I had a right to call you out in front of your team. And I put JJ and Emily in a pretty shitty position - they really had no choice but to follow me in, and I knew that they would. I even did it on purpose, I think, to get them to disobey you. And even though I was confident that we could handle it - and I was right, by the way - it was still a shitty thing to do. So I’m sorry for that.”

It was probably one of the most honest apologies he had ever received. He got the feeling that if she were given the chance, Nora would do it all again exactly the same way. But at least she recognized where her behavior had been flawed; Hotch knew that plenty of people couldn’t even get that far.

“I appreciate that,” he said slowly, taking another drink. “And you weren’t completely wrong in your deduction of my trust levels.”

Nora looked at him steadily. “JJ and Emily have more than proven themselves. Multiple times. And they’re both well aware that you still treat them differently in the field than you do Derek and Dave. It hurts them. Sometimes it makes them doubt themselves, and that’s unfair of you to burden them with that when it’s completely unfounded.”

He may have appreciated her honesty, but it still made him shift in his seat. “I thought you weren’t a profiler.”

“I’m not.” She emptied her glass. “I’m damn good at reading people, though.” She watched as Hotch poured her another drink. “How are you doing?” she asked quietly. “I can’t imagine seeing Foyet was easy on you.”

He shook his head. “For a long time, I blamed myself for what he had done. If I had just taken his deal, quite a few people would still be alive.”

“But he’d still be free.”

“Would that matter if he wasn’t killing anymore?”

“Yes.” Her answer was firm and clear. “It’s bad enough when an evil man commits his evil acts. If there isn’t some kind of punishment involved, he wins on a whole other level. We can’t always prevent evil from happening. But it is our job to make sure that they don’t get that second kind of victory.”

Hotch watched for a moment, taking in the tired lines around her eyes and the slight unsteadiness in her hands. He couldn’t help but notice how really beautiful she was in that moment, but neither could he deny how much pain she seemed to be in. What made it worse was that he got the feeling that it was the status quo for her.

“You weren’t expecting the things he said to you,” he finally said.

“No, I wasn’t.”

“Can I ask how your parents died?”

A sad smile tugged at her mouth. “My dad died in a car accident when I was ten. My mom died from cancer when I was eighteen.”

“I’m sorry,” he said softly. “That must have been terrible for you.”

She nodded, her eyes distant. “It changed everything. My mom’s death, anyway. I was going to college. I had dreams that I was going to pursue. But…after she died…I don’t know. They didn’t seem important anymore.”

“Did you still go to school?”

“Not then, no. I went into the Navy.”

“Why?”

“Long story. But it seemed like the right thing to do.”

“What’s an anchor?” Hotch asked suddenly.

Nora went completely still, her eyes focusing on a distant point in the room. For a minute, Hotch was sure that she had stopped breathing. But then she took a long drink and shook her head. 

“Find another line of questioning, Hotchner.”

Aaron leaned back in his chair, sipping at his own drink. “Okay. How long have you and Logan known each other?”

A genuine smile came out at that. “Almost my entire life. We grew up together in Brooklyn. His…his parents died when we were very young. A woman in the neighborhood - Angela - she took him in and raised him. When I joined the Navy, he joined too. He’s always had my back.”

“He’s British?”

Nora gave him a wry look. “I know you’ve read his file. He lived there for a couple of years before moving to the states. Mostly picked the accent up from his parents and never let it go. Sometimes I think it was an act of will on his part; after they died, it was a way for him to hold on to them.” She drained her glass again, letting the alcohol burn through her veins. “I know I didn’t do much to earn your trust on that case. And I know you saw some things that you can’t explain and you want answers. I get that. But I was serious about you only having known me for a week. There’s stuff I’m just not willing to share yet, Hotch. But I will never knowingly endanger the team. I will always be the first one through the door -“

He held up a hand to stop her. “You’re right. You deliberately disobeyed me, and you refused to explain yourself. I was furious with you. At the same time, though…You saved my life.” His eyes drifted to the top of her head. “I know about the bullet graze,” he said quietly. “You could have been killed.”

Nora gave a half shrug. “I was pissed at you. I didn’t want you dead.”

“And I appreciate that. You also saved Cody and Damien’s lives. We would have caught Lewiston with or without you. I don’t know that we would have ever found that secret room. And even though I want to know how you knew it was there, and how you knew those bullets were coming, and how you did the things that you did…I understand about not being ready to share certain things with virtual strangers. But maybe we don’t need to yell at each other about it. I’ll try to respect your privacy - for now - and you try not to brush me off and treat me like something unpleasant that you stepped in.” 

Nora grimaced. “I was a little harsh.”

Hotch raised his eyebrows. “A little?”

“Look, McGarrett and Williams? They earned my respect a long time ago. You? You’re making a good case for it. I’ll do my best to be respectful of you and your authority. I’m just…I’m used to going my own way and McGarrett’s always given me a lot of latitude.”

“And I’ll do my best to respect that,” he replied. “But our teams need to work together. Because we’re not separate anymore. We’re one team.”

Nora nodded. “I know.” She gestured to her glass and got to her feet. “Thanks for the drink.”

“I should be thanking you,” Hotch said, standing with her. “You brought it.”

She waved a dismissive hand. “Keep it. I’ve got a ton at home.” She hesitated slightly and then patted his arm, something he couldn’t read moving across her expression. Then it was gone and she was moving past him. “Goodnight, Hotch.”

“Goodnight,” he said, the room already empty.


	20. Chapter 20

A steaming cup of coffee suddenly appeared on Morgan’s desk, and he looked up in surprise to see Nora perched on the corner. 

“What’s this for?” he asked.

She shrugged. “You’ve probably noticed that I’m not much of a people person. I know I set you on edge and I also know that it's really bad for the team to have people secretly seething. So I thought I’d buy you a cup of coffee and we’d start again.”

“And you thought a cup of coffee was enough?”

“It’s really good coffee,” she defended. “It’s not like I’m giving you coffee from here.”

Derek leaned back in his seat and looked at her for a minute. “I’ll make you a deal. We can have a fresh start if you answer one question for me.”

Her expression immediately became guarded. “There are some things I just won’t answer, Morgan.”

“Yeah, yeah, you’ve got your secrets. I don’t think this would fall under that heading.”

“Okay…go ahead and ask then.”

He looked around the room and then smirked up at her. “Are McGarrett and Williams a thing?”

Nora stared at him for a moment before bursting into laughter, and Morgan joined in. It felt good to be laughing. 

She shook her head. “They’re not. I mean, don’t get me wrong, they are completely and utterly in love with each other. They live together raising Danny’s daughter. They’re best friends. And they’re just…”

“Completely and utterly in love with each other?”

She gestured at the two men, who were standing on the other side of the bullpen. Nora wasn’t sure what they were talking about, but she could see that Danny was talking passionately with his hands, and Steve was just looking at him with that goofy look in his eyes that he reserved specifically for his partner.

“So what’s the hold up?” Morgan asked. “If they’re so in love, why aren’t they together?”

“How would you feel about a sexual revolution at your age?” Nora asked with a laugh. “They’ll figure it out, in their own time. Well, they’ll get their act together; I don’t think either of them is delusional enough to not know their feelings.” She looked back at Morgan. “So…are we good?”

He thought about it for a moment and then nodded. “Yeah, we’re good.”


	21. Chapter 21

Three months later found Hotch standing in his office, looking out over the bullpen through the window. Rossi stood next to him and they watched as the combined teams laughed and joked together after a long day of work. Hotch was relieved to see them interacting so well; he had been worried at first that they wouldn’t be able to find a rhythm. But now the team bounced between terrorists and serial killers, combining their strengths to catch the bad guys before they could do any more damage. 

“Our family has grown,” Rossi mused.

Hotch nodded. “It has. It’s been rocky in places, but I think it’s turning out for the best, don’t you?”

“I absolutely do,” Rossi agreed. “We have two world-class investigators in Williams and Alex. And the other three…well, it’s like we managed to pick up some of the military’s best badasses. Did you see that flying kick Nora landed last week?”

Hotch shook his head. “Morgan told me about it, though. I did watch Logan snap a man’s fingers to disarm him, however. It was…impressive.”

Rossi watched his friend carefully. “And yet with all of the happiness and camaraderie we see down there, something is still eating at you. What is it?”

Hotch gestured down to the bullpen with his chin. “Nora. She’s warmed up to us, which is great. But I can’t shake the feeling that something is really wrong with her. She seems to be getting…weaker, somehow. I’m almost worried that she’s ill.”

“Have you tried talking to her about it?”

Hotch gave him a rueful glance. “I’m sure you’ve noticed how forthcoming she is about personal things.”

“True,” he conceded. He was quiet for a moment. “I want to tell you a story.”

Hotch frowned at his friend’s tone. “Okay.”

“On our first case with McGarrett and his people, I saw something that I still don’t understand. I think about it almost every day, and I’ve come to a couple of possible conclusions, despite the fact that none of them seem possible. Given your worries about Nora, though, I’d like to share it with you.”

Hotch nodded in encouragement and Rossi began to tell his story about seeing Nora in the hospital with Damien Scott. He told him about the black lines that moved under the boy’s skin. He told him about Nora’s song and how she seemed to take the black lines into her body. He even told him about the tears of blood running down Nora’s face. When he was finished, Hotch stared at him in disbelief.

“And what kind of conclusions did you draw, Dave?”

“You know, the Scott family called me a couple of weeks ago. They wanted to thank us again and let us know how Damien is doing.”

“And?”

“And he’s doing surprisingly well. We all know that children are resilient, but after what Damien went through, he should be having some kind of psychological aftereffect, don’t you think? His parents said that he almost never has any nightmares, and even when he does, he can’t remember them.” He paused. “I spoke to Cody Brauer’s mom, as well.”

“Same thing?”

Rossi nodded. “Same thing. And it turns out that Nora sat with him for a while in the hospital before going to see Damien.” Dave took a deep breath. “Aaron, I think she took their nightmares from them.”

“That’s not possible.”

“Neither are bullets that stop in mid-air, but we both saw that happen.”

“We don’t know -“

“Yes, we do. CSU found bullets just lying on the ground like someone had spilled them, except that they had been fired. They didn’t hit anything. They just stopped and fell to the concrete. It’s not possible and it’s not normal, but it happened.”

Hotch found himself staring at Nora. “Let’s suppose that it was possible.”

“Okay.”

“You said that those black lines under Damien’s skin…they moved into Nora’s body?”

“That’s what I saw.”

“That would suggest that she took his nightmares into herself. That she relieved his burden by taking it on.”

Rossi nodded. “I think that would be a fair estimate. Aaron, by the time we got on the jet to go home after that case, Nora had completely withdrawn. I know she hadn’t been a warm and fuzzy person before that, but her temper grew steadily shorter as it went on. What if it wasn’t because she can be a disagreeable person? What if…”

“What if what?”

Dave suddenly shook his head. “That conclusion I am not yet ready to share. All that to say…I think we should keep an eye on Nora. Like you said, she seems to be getting weaker and I’m worried about her.”

Hotch wanted to press him. He wanted to hear Dave’s ideas about what could be going on with Nora. But his friend had already turned to walk out of the room. Hotch watched him walk down the stairs to join the others, his smile wide and genuine. Hotch knew that he should go down there as well; McGarrett was always reminding him that leaders needed to make sure they were a part of the team they were in charge of. But Hotch couldn’t tear his eyes away from Nora. He cataloged her from head to toe, taking in the circles under her eyes and the pallor of her skin. Something was definitely wrong with her; he just prayed that the secret she was keeping wasn’t killing her.

He shook his head and forced his feet toward the door.


	22. Chapter 22

All they knew was that people were setting bombs all over the building. Reid and Rossi were doing their best to get everyone out, but their best bet was still to find the bombers before they could actually activate the bombs. The rest of the team raced down hallways and through stairwells; they ran into each office and gave it a hurried check as they looked for anything that might be an explosive. But time was not on their side, no matter how fast they ran.

Steve didn’t see the man stepping out of one of the offices until there was a piece of rebar punching through his stomach. He tried to raise his gun, tried to warn Danny that they were in danger, but his voice came out in a strangled gasp that mangled his words. 

He fell to the floor as Danny brought his gun up. His attacker, now devoid of a weapon because it was sticking out of Steve, turned to race back into the room. He slammed the door shut behind him as though it would do any good, but Danny kicked the door down and went through. Steve wished he could see. He wished he could get up and have his partner’s back like he was supposed to. He tried to reach out a hand; he tried once again to use his voice to tell Danny to be careful. He prayed to God that Danny wasn’t about to get blasted to smithereens. 

Two shots rang out as Steve’s vision started to go dark.


	23. Chapter 23

Somewhere else in the building, a bomb detonated. 

Alex and Morgan dove for cover as one of the stairwell doors blew into the hallway, the blast shaking the entire building. Something painful twisted in Alex’s stomach and he cried out. 

Logan had been in there.

The explosion still ringing in his ears, he didn’t hear Morgan yelling at him to wait. Alex lunged for the hole where the door had been and found himself looking down into a heap of rock and metal. Logan was in there somewhere and he was hurting. Alex had to find him.

A hand suddenly grabbed his elbow and spun him around. Morgan was there, face close to his.

“You can’t go in there!” he shouted.

Alex was already shaking his head and pulling his arm of the other agent’s grasp. “I have to! Logan is in there!”

“The whole thing could collapse!”

“I don’t care!”

Arm finally free, Alex began to pick his way through the debris.


	24. Chapter 24

Hotch sucked in a deep breath as he looked at the two terrorists he and Nora had taken down. One of them lay with his hand outstretched, mere centimeters from the bomb. If they had been any later, the device would have been armed.

Nora didn’t seem to even be breaking a sweat from the fight, but she was pinching the bridge of her nose like her head hurt. 

“Are you okay?” he asked.

She waved a hand at him. “Fine, fine. Just a headache.”

“You get a lot of those,” he observed.

Before she could answer, Hotch’s radio crackled. “Hotch, we’ve got the building about 90% evacuated. Any word on the bombers?”

“We just took down two on the north end of the roof,” he replied. “But I heard an explosion earlier. Everyone else check in.”

JJ was the first to answer. “I’ve got one terrorist down and an unarmed bomb on the second floor.”

“I’ve got the same in the parking garage,” Emily added.

“I’ve got one exploded bomb in the south stairwell,” Morgan said. “Alex and I are climbing down through the debris. He says Logan is in here.”

Nora’s head whipped around and she grabbed the radio from Hotch. “Is he alive?”

“Don’t know yet. Alex seems to think he is.”

The next voice that came through was broken and panicked. “Uh, this is Danny. I’ve got one dead terrorist and an unarmed bomb. I, uh…I need an ambulance, a paramedic, something. Right now. McGarrett’s down. I repeat, McGarrett’s down.”

“Danny, where are you?” Rossi demanded.

“Third floor, north side. I…god, there’s so much blood.”

Hotch took the radio back from Nora. “We’re on our way.”


	25. Chapter 25

A part of Nora wanted to rush to the south stairwell instead of the third floor. Logan was there. He was hurt. Maybe even dead. But every time she seriously considered heading over there, Danny’s voice would play in her head again and she would keep heading towards McGarrett. Alex and Morgan were already trying to help Logan. Steve needed them now.

Steve and Danny were the only ones in the third floor hallway, and Nora and Hotch raced right over to them. A door on the other end banged open and JJ was suddenly there as well, running to join them.

Nora and Hotch got there first. Nora knelt on the other side of Steve, her hands gently cupping his face as he struggled to breathe. She had to focus on staying upright as everything washed over her.

“Hey,” she said gently, tears coming to her eyes.

Steve tried to smile at her, but he was in too much pain. “Hey,” he whispered.

She looked down at the piece of rebar sticking out of him. Danny was trying to stem the tide of blood, but it was a losing battle, and they could all see that.

“Paramedics are on their way,” JJ said. “But the bomb squad just got here and they’re trying to deny them access until they’ve swept the building.”

“He doesn’t have that kind of time,” Danny said, his voice broken and tired.

Nora looked from Danny to Steve again and took a deep breath. 

“Danny?”

He looked up at her, tears streaming down his face. 

“Do you trust me?” she asked.

He nodded. “Of course I do.”

“You know what I am. I think…I think I can help. But I need you to trust me.”

Danny nodded again, a small light of hope coming into his eyes. “Just tell me what to do. Please.”

“Come over here and put Steve’s head in your lap, okay? Danny? Listen to me. No matter what happens, you cannot let go of him, okay?”

Danny was already moving to Steve’s head, holding his face and stroking his thumbs over his cheeks. “Okay.”

“Danny, look at me.” He met her eyes again. “I need you to think of how much Steve means to you. Focus on how you feel about him. Can you do that?”

“Yes,” he whispered.

Nora nodded and stood up, crossing over to Steve’s injured side. Before going down to the floor again, she leaned her head in closer to Hotch and JJ. 

“JJ, I need you to hold Steve’s hand. It sounds weird, but I want you to focus on the team as a whole. Everything that makes this little unit a family.”

The other woman looked confused, but she nodded. “I can do that.”

“And Hotch…” Nora looked at him for a moment. “Aaron. I need you to do two things.”

“Name it.”

“First, you’re gonna have to pull that rebar out of McGarrett.”

Hotch looked down at the other man. “He’ll bleed out.”

“He’s already bleeding out. I need you to pull that piece of metal out of him. Can you do it? Just straight up and out.”

“I can do it. What’s the second thing?”

“If…” She swallowed, suddenly realizing how shaky she was. “If I survive this, I need you to promise me that you won’t take me to a hospital.”

He frowned. “What do you mean?”

“I mean that a hospital is the worst possible place for me to be. If I survive, I need you to get me back to the hotel and let me rest, no matter how much your common sense is telling you that I need a doctor. And I promise, if that happens…I will tell you all those secrets I’ve been keeping. But please. You cannot take me to a hospital. Do you understand?”

“Not in the slightest,” he replied honestly. “But I’ll do what you’re asking.”

She reached out and briefly cupped his cheek. “Thank you,” she whispered. Then she turned back to the situation at hand. “Okay,” she said, kneeling next to Steve. “This is going to hurt like a bitch, but I need everyone to focus on their jobs and block everything else out. Hotch, pull that rebar out on the count of three. One, two, three!”

Hotch bent his knees and pulled straight up, wincing at the tearing sound it made as it came out of Steve’s body. Nora’s hands immediately closed over the wound, blood pouring out from between her fingers. There was a strangled cry from Danny as he bent his body lower over Steve.

Nora focused on the wound. She let her senses feel the air around her until she found the strength of Danny’s feelings for his partner. She may have generally thought that Hallmark cards were a load of crap, but Danny’s love for Steve really was like a beacon shining out through the darkness. Nora latched onto that and then reached for the feelings of family and friendship that were coming from JJ. She let them flow through her and give her the strength that she needed. 

And then she pulled the injury away from Steve. It was like what she had done for Damien and Cody, but vastly different at the same time. Nightmares could be living things - she knew that better than most - and she had simply pulled them into herself. The injury in Steve’s side had a physicality to it that she had never worked with before, though. Nora closed her eyes and just focused on taking all of it away from him - the pain, the bleeding, the growing cold of impending death. She pulled and she pulled, willing all of it to draw into her own body.

She wasn’t sure that it was working until Steve suddenly sat up with a gasp, eyes wide open and his injury gone. He and Nora stared at each other for a moment before she leaned forward with a cry and kissed his forehead. It was a fleeting touch, since Danny was already gathering the taller man against his body, holding him tightly.

JJ and Hotch shared an incredulous look as Nora fought her way to her feet. Pain lanced through her, though, and she fell against the wall, her hand instinctively going to her side. Hotch was there in less than a second, his hand moving to cover hers as the blood started to pour out of her.

“You took his injury?” Hotch asked in awe.

Nora’s legs buckled, and she would have hit the ground if Hotch hadn’t caught her. The pain was incredible, and her vision was starting to go dark.

“Remember…remember your promise,” she forced out.

The blackness took her.


	26. Chapter 26

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This focuses on just Danny and Steve. If slash pairings bother you, skip it.

Danny didn’t let himself focus on the mechanics of what had happened in that building. He didn’t think about how Nora had completely healed his partner. He didn’t think about how she was in her own room, trying to recover. 

The only thing he could really focus on was what an idiot he was.

After Hotch had scooped Nora up into his arms, the team had gotten the hell out there. Morgan, Logan, and Alex had met them on the ground floor, Logan leaning heavily on Alex but looking okay. Everyone had questions about what had happened upstairs, but Hotch had gotten Nora into the nearest SUV and ordered everyone back to the hotel. They were all supposed to rest and get cleaned up so that they could meet for dinner in a couple of hours. 

Danny hadn’t said a word to Steve since they got in the car. Even now, as they made their way down to their rooms, he kept his mouth shut and his hand on the other man’s back. When Steve made to turn toward his own room, though, Danny gripped his shirt tightly and pulled him along until they reached Danny’s door.

“Danny -“

Danny held up a finger. “Do not, Steven.”

It took him three tries, but eventually the reader on the door read his card and Danny pushed the door open, dragging Steve in behind him. He didn’t bother with the lights. Instead, he turned around and slammed Steve up against the door and dragged his mouth down to his.

Any worries that Danny might have had about kissing another guy went out the window immediately. The sensation was strange at first - there was no mistaking the fact that he was kissing a man instead of a woman - but then Steve was kissing him back and Danny didn’t give a damn about anything else anymore.

“You bastard,” he murmured, pulling back to breathe as his hands started lifting Steve’s shirt over his head. “I thought…I thought -“

“I know.” 

Steve pulled the shirt off the rest of the way and dove back in, claiming Danny’s mouth as his hands moved continuously over the shorter man’s body. Danny gave back as good as he got, marveling at the fact that he was finally allowed to touch what he’d wanted for so long. 

“No more being stupid about this, right?” he asked, pulling away for another breath.

“Right. Danny, I -“ Steve stared at him, trying to tell him everything in one look that he couldn’t get out in words.

Danny just nodded and started pulling him back towards the bed. “I know, babe,” he murmured. “I know.”


	27. Chapter 27

When she was finally able to open her eyes again, Nora wasn’t terribly surprised to see Logan sitting by her bedside, his hand clutching hers. He was looking in the other direction, and she took the time to admire his profile. She had always thought he was a handsome guy, and the new bruises and scrapes on his face didn’t change that. For the first time in years, she wished that they had been able to make it work between them. Logan was a rock in her life, and things would have been so much simpler that way. Their lives were not simple, however, and when she saw that he was watching Alex sleep in a chair across from her bed, she realized that it had probably been for the best. 

“Look who survived an explosion,” she said, her voice raspy.

Logan turned back to her, a relieved smile on his face. “And look who actually survived taking on another person’s mortal wound. That was quite a feat, love.”

She shrugged. “I had to try something. It was the only thing I could come up with.”

“Plus, there was the happy chance that it might have killed you.”

Nora frowned at him. “I wasn’t trying to die.”

“Right. You’re going to have to do a better job at lying than that.”

“Logan, I couldn’t let him die.”

“Which I completely understand. But you can’t really expect me to believe that you haven’t been trying to commit suicide by perp for the couple of years. This was a perfect opportunity for you to save a friend and go out in a blaze of glory.”

Her expression hardened. “That’s not fair,” she hissed. “You don’t know how hard it is, Logan. You have no idea how much it hurts. I’m barely hanging on. You have your anchor. And we both know that I’m on borrowed time without mine.”

His eyes softened. “I’m not denying any of that, Nora. But you’re my best friend in the entire world. And you have no idea how hard it is for me to sit here knowing that you want to die. How hard it is to know that there is absolutely nothing I can do to ease your pain.”

She sighed and forced herself to sit up slowly, with Logan lending a hand. Eventually she got her legs off of the bed and she just sat there, taking deep breaths. Then she decide to just suck it up and look at the wound.

It was almost healed.

“Well damn,” she muttered.

Logan nodded. “Danny managed to keep a hand on you and Steve for the drive back to the hotel. I think his residual emotions had a lot to do with that healing so fast.”

Nora lowered her shirt again and looked over at Alex, who was still sleeping. “How’s he doing?”

Logan sighed. “He’s exhausted. I talked to Morgan for a bit. I guess Alex freaked out when the stairwell exploded. He knew that I was in there. He practically threw Morgan off of him and climbed into the debris looking for me.”

“You two really need to have a long talk. You know that right?”

“I’m starting to agree with you. I just feel bad about ruining his life.”

Nora reached out and rested her hand on his knee. “Maybe you start the conversation without those assumptions. Give him he chance to be honest with you. You can’t just keep assuming that you know what another person is thinking.”

Logan gave her a pained look. “Well…”

“Thinking and feeling are two different things, Logan.”

He eventually nodded. “You might be right. But for now, we’re supposed to be getting ready to meet the team for dinner. You up for that?”

“Honestly? I’d rather lay back down and get some more sleep. But I made Hotch a promise.”

“What kind of promise?”

“I told him that I’d tell him what was going on. The truth. About me.” She looked at him for a moment. “I can leave you out of it if you’d like.”

Logan shook his head. “You know I’m in this with you all the way. Might be nice to finally spill the beans. Hiding stuff can be exhausting.”

“Let’s hope they believe us.”

He gave her a look. “Seriously? They’ve watched you punch through walls, stop bullets, and heal a man. Not to mention that Steve and Danny know the truth. I don’t think it will take too much to convince them.”

“I hope not.” She took another long breath and then nodded at Alex. “You wake him up and start getting ready. Let’s get this over with.”


	28. Chapter 28

There was a lot of small talk until the food was on the table. Nora looked around at her team, amazed at the depth of strength and feeling. Hotch sat directly across from her, which she thought was fitting. She had made the promise to him directly, and now it would feel as though she were making her confession to him. Logan sat on one side of her with Alex on his left, while Steve sat on the other side of her, Danny on his right. She had her old team next to her, supporting her. And she had a new team that had fought side by side with her through six months of serial killers and terrorists. It was time to come clean.

“I’m not really sure where to start,” she admitted.

“I actually have a theory,” Reid offered. “If you’d like to hear it.”

She chuckled. “Sure. I’d love to.”

The young doctor wiped his mouth with his napkin and took a drink of water. “I haven’t actually been there to witness much of the stranger things that have happened around you, but we’ve all talked about it and I started researching it. My mom used to tell me stories when I was a kid about special people. She said that they were rare and that they carried a lot of burdens because of what they could do. I always thought those were fairy tales, but if I’m right about what you are, there’s actually some scientific basis for it.”

“And what do you think I am, Reid?”

He took a deep breath. “I think you’re an empath.”

Logan let out a low whistle. “Damn that kid is good.”

“For the record, I think you’re one as well, Logan,” Reid added.

“An empath?” JJ asked. “Someone who can feel other people’s feelings?”

Nora nodded. “Literally.” She chuckled again. “You know, Reid, I was terrified that none of you would believe me. I’m kind of relieved that you figured it out.”

He gave a little shrug. “It took a lot of digging. But your refusal to touch people, your ability to suss out bad guys just by being near them…it all fits.” He hesitated. “I don’t just think you’re an empath in the traditional sense, though. I think you’re actually an Ellaikeiner - a True Empath.”

“Ten points to Dr. Reid,” she said quietly. 

Morgan put a hand up. “Can someone please explain what this all means?”

Nora nodded. “Reid, I appreciate that parts of empathy have a basis in science, but to be honest, science doesn’t have much of anything to do with an Ellaikeiner. A True Empath can do more than just feel the emotions of the people around them. They can also use the power of those emotions to cause certain supernatural things to occur.”

The table went quiet. “Do you mean like bullets stopping in mid-air?” Emily asked.

“Yes.”

“And punching through walls and ripping chains out of concrete,” Hotch added.

“Yes.” Unsurprisingly, there was still disbelief in the eyes of her colleagues. “Look, I know it sounds incredible. But you’ve all seen me do things. How do you think I found Cody and Damien? Why do you think I threw up when I touched that house? Those boys were suffering so much that it had actually gotten into the walls and the foundation. I could feel it crawling inside of me. I used those feelings to break through that wall. I could sense the malice and the hatred of those shooters across the street. That’s how I knew to throw you to the ground, Hotch. I can feel other people’s feelings. And so can Logan.”

“How did you heal Steve?” Morgan asked.

“With Danny’s feelings,” JJ answered, eyes widening. “You told him to keep touching him and to keep focusing on how he felt about him.”

“Awww,” Garcia said. “You healed Steve with Danny’s love for him?”

Steve got a goofy grin on his face while Danny rolled his eyes. “Oh dear lord.”

“The wording is a little sappy, but it’s accurate,” Nora said.

“And what you did for Damien and Cody in the hospital?” Rossi asked.

She winced at the memory. “They were in so much pain, Dave,” she whispered. “I had to help them.”

“By taking their nightmares?”

She stared at him. “You knew?”

“I thought about it for a good long while and put two and two together. I didn’t get four, but I got the only answer that I could.”

“How do you take someone’s nightmares away?” Emily asked.

“You take them into your own body,” Nora replied.

“This whole thing sounds incredibly exhausting,” JJ said. “Can you always feel other people’s feelings? Or can you turn it off sometimes?”

“There’s no turning it off,” Logan said. “It’s like having a million voices in your head, crying because they’re in pain, crying because their overjoyed. It’s too much.”

“Which is why empaths have anchors,” Hotch said, looking Nora straight in the eye. “Except that you don’t have one.”

She swallowed hard against the sudden lump in her throat. This was really the hardest part for her to explain; luckily, Logan stepped in.

“That’s true. Each Ellaikeiner has an anchor. A person who can quiet their mind with a simple touch.” His eyes slid to his left. “Alex is mine. An empath can get run down pretty quickly, especially in this line of work, with everyone’s emotions constantly bombarding them. The anchor, well…the anchor pretty much keeps them sane.”

“And alive,” Reid said. “The anchor is a big subject when it comes to empaths and I did a lot of reading on them. Without an anchor, empaths die.” He cringed as he looked at Nora. “Sorry.”

“Wait a minute,” Garcia said. “How long can the empath last without an anchor?”

Reid shook his head. “Most don’t make it past a year.”

Hotch’s eyes hadn’t left Nora. “How long has it been, Nora?”

She pulled herself up and rolled her shoulders. “Almost ten years,” she said quietly.

Everyone just stared at her until Hotch spoke again, his voice rough. “That was what Foyet meant when he said that you weren’t going to last much longer.”

She nodded. “It’s tearing me apart,” she admitted, tears filling her eyes. “I don’t know how much longer I can hold on.”

Before anyone could say anything further, Hotch’s phone rang. It seemed to break the spell at the table and everyone sat back slightly, trying to digest everything they’d just heard. Their attention all snapped back to Hotch when his voice rose, however.

“What? When?” He listened for a moment longer before disconnecting the call. His free hand clenched into a fist as he struggled to steady his breathing.

“Hotch, man…what is it?” Morgan asked.

“It’s Foyet.” Hotch raised his eyes and locked his gaze with Nora’s. “He’s escaped.”


	29. Chapter 29

Nora stood outside of Hotch’s office for a moment before knocking. She knew that he was a mess right now, even if he wasn’t letting any of it show. Foyet’s escape had caught them all off-guard, and so far there was no sign of him. There was no way he had gotten out of Red Onion without help, and Garcia was currently down in her office, trying to dig up anyone from Foyet’s past that might have been willing and able to help him. There wasn’t much they could do without some kind of lead.

Finally, she took a deep breath and knocked before stepping into his office.

Hotch wasn’t at his desk. Instead, he stood by the windows, looking out into the night. It had been almost a week since the escape and it was slowly eating at him.

“You need to get some rest, Aaron,” she said softly.

“I can’t.”

“I know,” she replied. “But as your friend, I had to say it anyway.” She nodded toward the couch and shut the door behind her. “At least come sit with me for a little bit.”

To her surprise, Hotch acquiesced. They sat together in silence for a few minutes, listening to the rain beat against the window.

“I owe you an apology,” he said suddenly.

She frowned. “For what?”

“I’m sure that being an empath and having to be around me has been extremely difficult. I tend to be self-aware, so I know that I carry a lot of guilt and anger and sadness. For you to have to fell all of that all the time…”

Nora let out a quiet huff and turned sideways so that she could face him. “Can I tell you a secret?”

“I thought you already told me all of your secrets.”

“This one is a little different. It really didn’t have an impact on the team and I’m still trying to understand it myself.”

“Okay…then I would be happy to hear it.”

Her eyes searched his. “I can’t feel you.”

Hotch’s brow immediately furrowed. “What?”

“I can’t feel you. Which makes zero sense, because I know that Logan can. In this line of work, we’ve come up against a couple of sociopaths that didn’t have any feelings…it was like there was a hole where a normal person should be. But you’re not a sociopath. You feel all those things you listed. I can see it on your face, and Logan almost fell over the first time he shook your hand, it hit him so hard. So you might take comfort in the fact that you have never caused me the pain that just about every other person I’ve met has.” She reached out slowly, letting one finger trace his brow. “Honestly, though? Sometimes I wish I could feel you.”

Hotch felt himself relaxing beneath her touch. “It would probably just cause you more pain.”

“Sometimes the pain is worth it,” she whispered.

He was leaning in before he’d even realized he wanted to and then he was kissing her. Nora’s lips were soft and warm, and an ache that Hotch hadn’t even realized had settled in his chest started to ease. One of his hands came up to cradle her face, fingers drifting into her dark hair. 

And she was kissing him back. The kisses grew longer and deeper as they moved closer to one another on the couch. The small noises that Nora was making drew Hotch on, his skin almost on fire from a host of sensations he hadn’t felt in years. 

Slowly, Nora softened their kisses until they were just barely touching and breathing each other in. She stroked his face gently and looked at him with sad eyes.

“I’ve wanted to do that for awhile,” she admitted.

“So have I.” Hotch looked at her more closely. “You don’t seem happy about it, though.”

“I don’t really want to ruin the moment.”

“Tell me,” he urged.

Nora was quiet for a few moments. “You’re not my anchor,” she said finally. “And…physical relationships with non-anchors…they don’t really work.”

“Are you saying we’re doomed from the start?”

“I’m saying that it’ll hurt a lot, Hotch. And I’m not sure I’m willing to lose you like that.”

He frowned. “You sound like you’re talking from experience.”

She nodded. “Logan and I tried for a little while after our empathic abilities kicked in. But because we weren’t each other’s anchors, it was just…it was cold and empty and it was slowly killing us. It didn’t even last three weeks. Eventually we had to put an end to it in order to save our friendship.”

Hotch hated what she was saying, but he knew that she wasn’t saying it lightly. He decided to change the conversation slightly. “How did that happen?” he asked instead. “Your empathic abilities? Did they just appear one day?”

“Kind of? Not really?” She shook her head. “You know that I was a diver with the Navy for a long time.” When Hotch nodded, she continued. “We were exploring an underwater cave one day and it just started to shake. My team tried to get out, but then the entrance collapsed…” She trailed off, closing her eyes for a moment against the memories. “None of them survived, but I did. I was trapped in this tiny space, surrounded by rocks and water and the dead bodies of my colleagues. And then…and then there was this weird blue light. I had no idea where it was coming from and it totally freaked me out. I started to panic, and then the rocks blocking the entrance suddenly exploded outward. I got out.” She paused again. “Over the next few days, I started to read people a lot better than I ever had before. It took me a while to figure out what was going on.”

Hotch reached out and took her hand, entwining their fingers. “I’m sorry that you went through that.”

Nora let out a quiet laugh. “You and I have both been through hell and back, Hotchner.” Her laugh faded and she studied his face again. “I wish this could be different for us.”

He squeezed her hand. “Don’t write us off just yet. Please.”

“Aaron -“

He held up his free hand. “How did kissing feel for you?”

Nora blushed slightly at the question, a smile tugging at her mouth. “Pretty damn good,” she admitted.

“Then let’s just leave it at that for now.”

She raised an eyebrow at him. “And you think you can content yourself with that?”

“I think I’ll take you any way I can get you,” he said firmly. He kissed her again, softly, before leaning back. “So is the anchor relationship always a romantic one?”

“From what I know it is. Why?”

“Logan and Alex.”

Nora groaned and threw her head back against the cushion. “Those two are driving me insane. Almost literally, since I can feel everything they feel.” She raised her head again and looked at Hotch. “Logan is in love with Alex. He’s been attracted to him since day one.” She caught Hotch’s confused look. “Bisexual,” she supplied. “Has been since he was a teenager. “Anyway, he thinks he’s completely ruined Alex’s life because Alex is his anchor and is therefore stuck with him for the rest of their lives. Alex was seeing some girl when he found out that he was Logan’s anchor - I guess it was actually pretty serious - and they’ve since broken up. Which of course Logan thinks is his fault.”

“And Alex is struggling with the fact that he’s attracted to a man?”

“A man that he thinks doesn’t want anything to do with him. Because Logan tries to keep his distance due to the whole ridiculous guilt thing.” 

“Wow.”

“Tell me about it.”

“So why haven’t you sat them down and forced them to face things?”

“Are you kidding me? Do you think people actually want to be told how they’re feeling, even when they know and accept that empathy is a real thing? You didn’t see me forcing Danny and Steve to do anything. And trust me, I wanted to.”

Hotch chuckled at that. “I take it their feelings were enough to send you reeling?”

“My knees actually gave out the first time I shook Steve’s hand. It was ridiculous. I don’t think I’ve ever actually felt a love as strong as theirs before. If I could actually harness that, I might be able to move mountains.” She sighed and leaned back; Hotch wrapped an arm around her shoulders. “I could have danced for joy when they finally got together.”

“After you healed Steve, right?”

“Right after. Like, by the time we got to dinner that night, they had finally gotten their shit together.” Nora sighed. “I’m happy for them. They’ve both been through the ringer, too, and they deserve to be happy.”

“You deserve it too, you know,” Hotch said quietly.

She leaned into him a little bit more. “This right here is pretty damn good,” she whispered.


	30. Chapter 30

It started to rain as the SUVs pulled up to the abandoned warehouse. Hotch looked at the building through the windshield, squinting as he tried to get a better look through the darkness. 

The man they were hunting was eviscerating his victims and nailing them to walls. Leads were non-existent, and the crime scenes were all different enough that creating a profile seemed almost impossible. 

None of them had a good feeling about this one.

Morgan glanced over at Nora in the backseat. “Anything?” he asked.

Since confessing her and Logan’s abilities to the others, the team had begun to rely on their talents. There was less worry about walking into buildings that seemed abandoned, since the empaths could reach out and search for someone’s presence. It wasn’t as helpful in heavily populated areas, but it had saved the team more than once. 

“I don’t think there’s anyone in there,” she replied finally. 

“You don’t sound certain. There shouldn’t be anyone around except for us.”

Nora became distant for a moment and then shook her head. “I don’t think there’s anyone in there. But…”

“But?” Hotch prompted.

“But something isn’t right.”

“Any chance the storm could be messing with you?” Morgan asked.

“It shouldn’t be, unless it’s not a natural storm.”

Both men frowned. “That’s possible?” Hotch asked.

“Remember that rainstorm in Dallas last month?”

“Yes.”

“That was me.”

Morgan just stared at her. “Are you serious?”

“We had a serial arsonist devastating families. The whole town was grieving. You’re lucky it came out in a storm instead of an earthquake.”

“Is that why you drink?” he asked suddenly. He held up a hand when both Hotch and Nora stared at him incredulously. “I don’t mean any disrespect. But I know that not having an anchor means that you can’t center yourself the way Logan can. And I’ve seen you after cases - you can put away more whiskey than a man twice your size.”

“It dulls it,” Nora said quietly. “Sometimes I think it’s the only reason I’ve made it this far. If I can avoid the turmoil in between cases, there’s a better chance I can make it through the tougher stuff, you know?” She sighed. “Is that enough sharing for now? Can we go check this place out?”

Both men nodded and opened their doors. That served as a signal for the rest of the team, and they all got out of their SUVs. The warehouse was tall and foreboding in the dark, but an anonymous call had come in, advising that there was another body. 

They moved toward the building, fanning out to come at it from different sides. The rain began to fall harder as they moved inside, making sure that every entrance was covered. 

The darkness inside the building was almost complete. Windows set high into the walls only showed more rain and dark clouds. Half of the team pulled out flashlights, giving them just enough visibility.

McGarrett signaled to Danny and Emily, and the two women followed him up the single stairwell that led to offices on the second floor. The others swept across the room, checking every shadowed corner. 

Emily found a switch upstairs, and suddenly the entire warehouse was bathed in fluorescent lights. Everyone turned off their flashlights and blinked as their eyes adjusted to the change. 

“No body,” Rossi said, looking around.

“But not completely empty,” Steve said, coming down the stairs. “What the hell is that?”

He pointed to the table in the middle of the floor and they all turned their attention to the single object resting on top of it. A coiled strand of barbed wire gleamed in the light, its razored points looking particular ugly. Nora stepped forward, holstering her weapon and cocking her head to the side. 

“I don’t get it,” she said, reaching out to brush her fingers against the metal. “Why would anyone -“

Her voice cut off with a sharp cry. The barbed wire, no longer coiled on the table, was now snaking around her right arm, biting into the skin as it wound its way up. Nora screamed, dropping to her knees. The pain in her head and the fire raging through her body were unlike anything she had ever felt before. The emotions of her teammates crashed down onto her like an avalanche, a hundred times more potent than they’d ever seemed before. 

And it wasn’t just them.

The upstate New York town that they were in wasn’t heavily populated. But suddenly it was as though all of residents were standing in the warehouse with her. Their emotions were right there and they were too much for Nora to take. 

She screamed again, clutching at her head.

At her first cry, Logan and Hotch both leapt forward, reaching out for her. Morgan and Steve caught Hotch before he got there, while Alex caught Logan around the waist. 

“No!” JJ yelled, holding her arms up. “Don’t touch her!”

“NORA!” Logan bellowed, still fighting Alex’s hold on him. “It’s killing her!”

“And you don’t know what it will do to you if you touch her!” JJ yelled. 

“I don’t think I ever gave you enough credit, Agent Jareau,” a new voice said. “Though I have to admit that I’m a little disappointed that you ruined my fun. I was hoping that this little game would spread to some of your colleagues.”

They all spun around to see George Foyet walking through the door. He wasn’t alone; a man whose face was hidden by a sweatshirt with a deep hood stood with him. Everyone but Nora raised their guns simultaneously.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” Foyet said.

In the blink of an eye, his companion had his own weapon out. A laser red dot appeared on Alex’s throat, and the room froze. Logan stood just slightly behind his anchor, and he looked around, trying to find some way to get between Alex and the bullet. 

“He’ll be dead before you make it three steps.”

“What did you do to Nora?” Hotch demanded.

Foyet acted as though he didn’t hear him. He kept his gaze locked on Logan, tilting his head to the side as if he were an animal to be studied. 

“What do you think would happen?” Foyet asked Logan. “What do you think would happen if your anchor died and it was all your fault? I’ve seen Aaron here deal with his guilt, but he only lost family. Could an empath survive after losing their anchor? I suppose we could find out. That might be fun.”

“What. Did. You. Do. To. Her.” Hotch spit out between clenched teeth.

Foyet sighed. “You’re just no fun anymore, Aaron. I miss our good times.” He gestured at them with a dismissive hand. “Weapons down or poor Alex here is getting a new airway.”

For a moment, no one moved. And then Logan crouched down, putting his gun on the floor. “Do it,” he said, his voice pleading. “For the love of God.”

Slowly, one by one, the rest of the team set their weapons down. Hotch’s eyes kept darting to Nora, who was still kneeling on the ground, screaming and crying.

Foyet watched her as well, shaking his head. “It’s sad, really. The strongest empath this world has seen in…what? Decades? Centuries? Maybe even ever. And her head’s going to explode in about five minutes.” He looked around at the others. “Oh, did I forget to mention? That fancy wire slowly climbing its way toward her heart? It amplifies everyone’s emotions. I’m betting she can feel people at the Canadian border right now. And they’re just screaming all of their feelings inside her head. The wire will reach her heart, and she’ll die.” He made a tsk-ing sound and shook his head. “A fruitful life cut short. And she never did find that pesky anchor of hers, did she?”

“I don’t get it,” Danny said. “Why Nora? I thought your beef was with Hotchner.”

Foyet seemed surprised by the question. Then he looked at his wrist, pretending to check the time. “I suppose we have enough time,” he said finally. “I’m an old acquaintance of Nora’s father, you see. And when I was quite a bit younger, he came to me with a proposition. It’s like he knew the potential I had inside of me. I guess you could thank him for helping me to become the Reaper, really. And he had one very specific target that I eventually had to hit.” He gestured to Hotch and smiled at him. “My crowning achievement,” he mused.

“You mean your epic failure,” a pained voice growled.

Foyet looked down at Nora in surprise. The wire was still climbing her arm and she was shaking all over, but she glared up at him with fire in her eyes even as tears of blood streamed down her face. Blood came out of her nose and the corners of her mouth as well. 

“Oh, are you still here?” he asked. “Don’t worry, dear. It won’t be long now.”

(Hold me, like the river Jordan  
And I will then to say to thee  
You were my friend)

All eyes snapped to Alex when he began to sing. 

(Carry me, like you were my brother  
Love me like a mother  
Will you be there?)

A wind picked up inside the warehouse. Foyet looked at Alex curiously. “You don’t have any magic.”

Alex continued singing, and this time his voice was joined by Derek’s.

(Weary, tell me will you hold me  
When wrong, will you scold me?  
When lost, will you find me?)

The wind rose while the rain outside crashed against the windows and lightening raced across the sky.

(But they told me, a man should be faithful  
And walk when not able  
And fight ’til the end,  
But I’m only human)

As the wind continued to grow in strength, there seemed to be voices dancing along it. Foyet’s inquisitive expression began to grow wary. 

(Everyone’s taking control of me  
Seems that the world’s got a role for me  
I’m so confused, will you show to me  
You’ll be there for me  
And care enough to bear me?)

The voices were no longer faint ghosts of sound. Thunder rolled through the building with enough force to shake it as words began to take shape. Nora, still glaring at Foyet, added her own broken voice to the fray.

(Hold me  
Lay your head lowly  
Softly then boldly  
Carry me there)

(Lead me  
Love me and feed me  
Kiss me and free me  
I will feel blessed)

Every window in the warehouse suddenly exploded inward, showering them with glass as Nora forced herself to her feet. 

(Carry   
Carry me boldly  
Lift me up slowly  
Carry me there)

(Save me  
Heal me and bathe me  
Softly you say to me  
I will be there)

Nora raised the arm that had the wire wrapping around it and flicked her hand. The hooded man with the gun flew across the room and landed against the far wall in a heap. She then pointed at Foyet and lifted the man high in the air, raising her arm as she did so.

(Lift me  
Lift me up slowly  
Carry me boldly  
Show me you care)

(Hold me  
Lay your head lowly  
Softly then boldly  
Carry me there)

(Need me  
Love me and feed me  
Kiss me and free me  
I will feel blessed)

“You…you should be dead,” Foyet croaked, scratching at the invisible hands that held him tightly around his neck.

“So should you,” Nora replied.

His eyes lit up with malicious glee again. “Just wait until you hear the things I can tell you about your father.”

Nora reached out with her left hand and suddenly Hotch’s gun flew off of the floor and landed in her grasp. 

“This isn’t a movie, Foyet, and you’re not getting your big confession moment.” She raised the gun at pointed it at him. “Take comfort in the fact that this is Aaron’s gun.” 

She fired one shot directly into the center of his forehead and then dropped him back to the ground.

The threat neutralized, Nora dropped the gun and fell to her knees again. Hotch was in front of her in a heartbeat, careful not to touch her.

“Tell me what I can do,” he said fervently.

“Get Garcia to figure out what the hell this thing is,” she gasped, pointing to the wire that had stopped at the top of her right shoulder. “And get me to Brooklyn. Now.” She looked up to Logan. “Angela,” she said in explanation. 

Logan nodded, still looking shell-shocked. “Can you make it to the car?”

“No choice. I’m not risking any of you touching me until we know more about this.”

Hotch wanted to help her up, but she shot him another glare that clearly told him what she thought of that idea. She was in agony, and she didn’t want to risk that spreading to any of the others. Somehow, they all got back outside into the rain; Rossi put a call into the local PD, telling them about the bodies in the warehouse.

“Think the younger guy was our killer?” JJ asked.

“I hope so,” Danny replied. “But honestly, I care more about our people, right now.”

Everyone nodded in agreement. As the rest of them piled into the SUVs, though, Logan grabbed Alex by the elbow and spun him around, wrapping him up in a tight embrace. Face buried in the other man’s neck, he breathed him in and squeezed him tighter. 

“I thought I was going to lose you,” he whispered.

Alex slowly hugged him back, relaxing into the sensation. “Maybe then you would be free, though.”

Logan pulled back just far enough to look at him in confusion. “I never wanted to be free of you, Alex. I just didn’t want to ruin your life.”

“You didn’t.”

“Guys!” 

They both turned at JJ’s voice and realized that they were holding everyone else up. Logan took a hold of Alex’s face and pulled him down so that he could place a soft kiss to his forehead. 

“Please don’t ever leave me,” he whispered.

They ran for the cars.


	31. Chapter 31

They were almost to Brooklyn by the time Garcia got back to them with answers.

“I found it,” she said. 

Nora sat in the front seat beside Hotch, leaning against the window like it was the only thing keeping her upright. Biting into her bottom lip, she tried to keep quiet, but occasionally cries of pain would rip out of her and the ground would shake. 

“What is it, Garcia?” Hotch asked.

“It’s old, sir. Very, very old. And it’s extremely powerful. I used the picture you sent me to match it. It’s called the Dreikerlein. Basically…it’s the strongest weapon you can use against an empath.”

“Garcia…”

“Right, sorry. The Dreikerlein amplifies everything that an empath feels from the people around them. It’s enough to drive them mad.” She paused. “In fact, if the empath doesn’t have an anchor…the Dreikerlein will do one of two things. Either it will kill them by causing an internal meltdown - there were pictures; they were awful - or it will turn them into a ticking time bomb.”

Morgan frowned. “What do you mean?”

“True Empaths use the emotions around them to do magic, remember?” Nora asked, her voice hoarse. “I can feel everyone, Derek. If this goes on for much longer, I could level New York City.” They all just stared at her and she shrugged. “I’m either dead, or I’m a weapon and then I’m dead. It’s not a bad plan, really.”

“What could the anchor do for her, Penelope?” Morgan asked.

“If he reached it before it got to her heart, he could pull it off of her. A very painful process for both of them, from what I’ve read, but it’s doable.”

Hotch frowned and looked over at Nora. “It stopped at her shoulder, though.”

“You’re sure that it stopped?”

Nora nodded. “It’s throbbing and I want to die, but I can tell it’s not moving any more.”

“Um, well…that would add an interesting twist to the story.”

“What are you talking about?” Logan asked over the speaker.

“I mean that there’s sort of a prophecy? About the True Empath that doesn’t die from the evil barbed wire of death.”

“What does she do instead?”

“She, uh…she takes its power on and it becomes her own. It’s kind of a…tool in a big battle? I’m sorry. The prophecy books are really dense and strange and in other languages. That’s all I’ve got for right now.”

“Okay. Garcia, send the pages to Reid and bring any physical copies to Brooklyn. Logan can send you the address.”

“Will do, sir. I’ll see you all soon.”

The call was disconnected and Hotch looked over at Nora, whose eyes had slipped shut. “Just hang on,” he said quietly. “Please.”


	32. Chapter 32

An older black couple was standing on the steps of the address Logan gave them. Hotch pulled the car up to the curb and threw it into park before sliding out the door.

“Angela?” he asked.

She nodded and then Logan was flying out of the other SUV. “The Dreikerlein,” he panted. “Know it?”

Angela took in a sharp breath and her eyes widened. “Mother of God,” she whispered. “Where is she?”

He opened up Nora’s door, but the man was right there, pulling him away. “You can’t touch her,” he said in a deep voice. “Not yet.” He looked at Nora. “Can you walk?”

“I shouldn’t be here, Boyd,” she said instead of answering, her voice hushed. “I could kill us all.”

“I’m not going to let that happen,” Boyd replied. “Come.”

She stared at him for a moment as though she might argue, but then she looked over and caught sight of Hotch. The concern etched into his features made him look older, and she suddenly felt horrible for the pain she was inflicting on him. Taking a deep breath, she forced herself to get out of the car, clinging to the door for a moment as she tried to steady herself.

Boyd nodded and turned to Angela. “We’ll join you as soon as we can.”

He led Nora away toward one of the houses on the street and Angela watched them until they climbed up the steps. Then she turned back to the others. 

“He’s the only one that can help her now. Please, come in and eat.”

Not know what else to do, they all followed her.


	33. Chapter 33

They waited in agony. Angela set out the fixings for sandwiches and coaxed them all to eat, but everyone was too busy worrying about Nora. When he got up for a drink, Angela pulled Logan in for a long, tight hug, whispering words in his ear that were meant for him alone. When they finally separated, she kissed his cheek and nodded to Alex.

“You haven’t introduced me to your young man yet.”

There was a slight blush on Logan’s cheeks. “He’s my anchor.”

“I can see that, honey,” she said with a smile. She looked over at Alex. “He’s good for you,” she told him. “You fit.”

Before either of them replied, Danny set his beer down with a sigh. “What are they doing?” he asked.

Angela looked over at him. “Who?”

“Who?” he asked. “Seriously? Nora and your man Boyd. I realize that we’re supposed to just sit here and trust that you have everything under control, but with all due respect, we don’t know you. We know Nora, and we know that she’s in pain and a great deal of danger. So please…” His voice broke slightly. “What are they doing?”

Her smile grew sad and she moved to the table, easing herself into a chair. “Boyd works magic like no one else I’ve ever seen. He’s trying to contain the power of the Dreikerlein so that it doesn’t consume Nora. If he can do that…if he can harness that power…” She shook her head. “Nora could become the most powerful of mages.”

“And if he can’t?” Hotch asked.

“As Nora would say, we’ll burn that bridge when we get to it.” She gave Hotch a sympathetic look. “I know you’re worried for her, Aaron - even more than the others.” She reached out to rest a hand on his arm. “But -“ She pulled back suddenly with a hiss, eyes widening as she stared at Hotch.

“Angela?” Logan asked.

The front door opened suddenly and Boyd walked in. His expression was haggard and his eyes haunted.

Hotch and Logan immediately stepped forward, Nora’s name on their lips. 

“A fool is the man who picks a fight with this woman,” Boyd said quietly. 

He stepped aside and Nora walked into the kitchen. The sleeve of her t-shirt was torn off on the right side, and they all stared in amazement at the artwork on her arm. Thick black lines wove in and out of the barbed wire that looked as though it was now deeply embedded in her flesh. The tattoo went from fingertips to her shoulder; Nora still looked tired, but she was walking on her own and she no longer looked quite as pale. 

“Are we allowed to hug you now?” Logan asked.

Nora nodded and stepped forward, letting Logan sweep her into his embrace. They held each other for a long time, just breathing each other in. When they pulled back, she kissed his cheek and then looked sharply at Alex. 

“Seriously?”

He frowned at her, confused. “What?”

“That’s your issue?”

He was shaking his head, clearly not understanding. 

“The harnessing of the Dreikerlein’s power increased her own abilities,” Boyd explained. “She’ll probably be insufferable now.”

Nora shot him a glare. “You’re lucky I owe you my life, old man.” She paused, turning to look at Angela. “What’s the matter?”

The older woman had gotten up from the table like everyone else, but now her eyes slid back to Hotch. “I’m surprised that you didn’t come to see me earlier.”

She raised her arm. “This only happened a few hours ago, Ang.”

Angela shook her head. “I meant about this man,” she replied, nodding at Hotch.

Nora and Hotch shared a look before Nora shook her head. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Don’t give me that, child. You’re the strongest empath I’ve ever heard about. Ever. You should have been able to feel this a mile off. In fact, it should be driving you to your knees right now.” She turned to Logan. “Even you should be able to feel in some way.”

Logan shrugged. “Hotch carries a lot of guilt and sadness, but so do a lot of people.” He looked over at Nora. “Does he feel any different to you?”

Nora kept her gaze on Hotch. “I can’t feel him at all,” she said quietly.

Shocked gazes and murmurs rippled through the room. Angela ignored them and turned to Logan. “But you can feel Agent Hotchner?” she asked.

Logan was still looking at Nora in surprise. “Yeah, of course. He’s one of the stronger people I’ve felt. Strong enough that if I had to, I think I could find him in the middle of Times Square without too much of an issue.” He paused. “You really can’t feel him, Nora?”

She shook her head. “Not even a little bit.”

Angela looked at her thoughtfully for a moment. “Come over here, child.” When Nora did so, Angela took both of her hands in her own. “Do you think you can open your Sight?”

Danny raised a hand. “Um…what exactly is that?”

Angela sighed. “We don’t really have time for a lesson right now, Detective.”

“Small question. Only one I’ll ask for now. Cross my heart.”

A small smile tugged at her lips. “Fine. The Sight is simply a way to look at both the mortal and the magical planes at the same time. You’ve all seen Nora and Logan do impressive things when they’re channeling the emotions of others. That’s all done by magic, and if you could see the magical plane, you would actually see that magic moving as they used it. There are so many things that can’t be seen by mortal eyes.” Her gaze moved back to Nora. “There’s something hurting your friend, Nora. And the fact that you can’t feel him makes me think that you’re the only one that can help him.” She squeezed her hands tightly. “You ready, sweetheart?”

Nora’s lips were pressed together tightly, but she nodded.

“The rest of you just stand still and be quiet,” Angela directed. “This shouldn’t take long.”

Nora had never been able to access the Sight before. She was surprised, at first, because the kitchen didn’t really look all that different. As she focused on Angela and Boyd, though, she could see swirls of purple and blue around them - evidence of the magic that always surrounded them. Her eyes drifted to Logan and Alex and she saw the magic again. This time, however, there was intricate weaving between the colors, and she realized that that was the power of their anchor hold. 

Then she turned and saw it. Hotch stood by the kitchen table, but with the Sight, Nora found herself looking at a man who was dead and decaying. His skin was grey, almost translucent. His eyes were cold and empty. And there was an aura of blackness around him that threatened to swallow him whole. She ran her eyes over him from head to foot, looking for the source of the evil.

She saw George Foyet holding onto one of his ankles with a death grip.

Something caught in Nora’s chest and she just stared. George Foyet was dead. She had put the bullet in his forehead herself. There he was though, face pale and emaciated; his grin was manic and pulled his skin too tight and Nora could see that his teeth were brown and rotted. His body stretched out behind Hotch towards the back door, and a thick black…something…ran from the center of his back out the door.

Anger washed over her, and for once, it was all hers. He may have been dead, but some part of Foyet was holding onto Hotch like a leech, slowly killing the man.

Nora stepped forward without even thinking about it, reaching for Foyet with her tattooed arm. Her fingers clamped around his neck and she squeezed mercilessly, lifting him off of the ground much like she had back at the warehouse. He struggled against her, raking at her arms with his rotting fingernails. Nora refused to relent, though; her grip continued to tighten as she sent every ounce of anger through her and into the bastard in front of her. She pushed it through until he was practically bursting at the seams, and then she forced through every glorious thing Hotch made her feel when he looked at her.

Everything burst into light.


	34. Chapter 34

Everyone heard Nora yell in rage and pain. Before any of them could react, though, something exploded. The force of it through Nora across the kitchen and through the door to the living room, taking a chunk of wall out with her. Hotch was thrown back in the opposite direction, dropping down to one knee as he gripped his chest. It felt as though a weight he hadn’t even known was there was lifting, and he could suddenly breathe easier. 

“Hotch?”

He had no idea who said his name. All he knew was that Nora was in the other room and in trouble. He pushed himself to his feet and raced over to her, gathering her up in his arms. He pressed a hand to her face, forcing her to look at him. Something black and ugly seemed to be fighting for control of her eyes; Nora clutched at him and screamed as she tried to stand her ground.

The others had followed Hotch into the room and they all stared in disbelief.

“Do not let go, Aaron,” Angela urged. “If you do, everything will be lost.”

“I don’t understand,” JJ whispered, watching the couple cling to each other on the floor.

“He’s her anchor,” Angela said, shaking her head in disbelief. “He’s her anchor.”


End file.
